Sky's the Limit
by RainbowKandiKorn22
Summary: A young girl named Gina has been turned from a human into an Eevee. She joins with Riolu in creating an exploration team, and she hopes that with his help, along with the assistance of an arrogant Vulpix and a timid Shinx, she'll find out exactly how this mysterious event happened. Rated T for future chapters. Covers main storyline of PMD: Explorers of Sky with added twists.
1. Chapter 1

**"You're just re-using the story from the games! That's not original!"**

**Yeah, yeah, I get it. But I'm seriously enjoying writing this. I really don't care if it's overused, I'm enjoying it, and that's what matters to me. **

**ANYWAYS, let's let my third multi-chapter fanfic begin!**

* * *

She cried out as pain shot through her body, indescribable colours flashing before her eyes.

"Whoa! Are... are you okay?!"

Lightning split the sky, and thunder rolled in the distance. The girl's hand was slipping from her partner's.

"No!" he pleaded. "Don't let go! Just a little longer... Come on! Hang on!"

The sounds of the thunder grew louder, and the lightning was becoming more visible with every passing second.

"N-n-no! I can't... hold on...!" the girl's grip weakened, and she felt her conciousness slipping.

Eventually, her hand slipped, and she screamed as she plummeted to her demise.

A storm raged below. Dark waves churned and crashed against seaside cliffs, which were illuminated by the lightning. The girl soon let the darkness overtake her, and she blacked out.

~o~o~o~o~

The first thing she could hear was the gentle sound of waves splashing against the sand. She groaned as she opened her eyes to blinding sunlight.

_Where... where am I?_

She winced. _I'm drifting off again... _

She closed her eyes again, pain filling every part of her body, wondering what fate had in store for her...

~o~o~o~o~

Riolu stood in front of the tent's entrance, staring at the grate in front of him.

_You can do this, Riolu,_ he assured himself. _It's only a grate. It's not going to swallow you into the ground. _

His foot hovered above it, and he shrank back again, wimpering.

"Who am I kidding?" he muttered to himself. "I can't do this... only brave Pokemon can..."

He turned away, about to head back down the stairs, when determination lit his eyes.

"No. I refuse to let my fear get the best of me!" he declared. "This is it. This is what I came here for!"

He straightened up, and stood on top of the grate. He nearly leapt out of his skin when a Pokemon shouted up at him.

"Pokemon detected! Pokemon detected!"

"Whose footprint? Whose footprint?"

"The footprint is Riolu's! The footprint is Riolu's!"

The blue Pokemon let out a scream, and stumbled backwards, nearly tripping over himself trying to get away from the grate. He panted, got back up, and looked down at his feet in shame.

"I guess... I guess I can't do this after all..." he whispered. He grabbed the small stone hanging by a thick thread around his neck, turning it in his hand, letting the pattern catch the slowly dimming sunlight.

"I thought holding onto this would help me be brave but..." he swallowed back tears as he let it go. "I guess bravery isn't for everyone... I guess I am a coward after all..."

Riolu sighed, and trudged down the steps, feeling nothing but shame and guilt.

A Koffing and Zubat came out of the bushes, looking quite interested in what had just happened.

"Hey Zubat," the Koffing whispered to his partner. "Did you see that? What a wimp!"

"You got that right, Koffing," Zubat replied. "That wimp had some kind of weird stone. Looked almost like treasure, wouldn't you say?"

"It sure did."

Koffing grinned. "Do we go after it?"

Zubat snickered. "We do."

The two of them waited until Riolu was out of sight, and they floated down the steps.

~o~o~o~o~

The sun was setting slowly over the sea, casting an orange-yellow glare across the waves. Several Krabby came out of their caves in the cliffs, and began to blow small, colourful bubbles into the warm breeze.

Riolu's feet kicked up tiny clouds of sand, and he came to a halt when he saw the sunset.

"Wow... What a fantastic sight!"

Bubbles floated past his face, occasionally making contact with him.

_When the weather's good, the Krabby come out here to blow bubbles,_ he thought. _All those bubbles, reflecting the sun's rays... it's always beautiful. _

His eyes stared in wonder and amazement, the waves splashing over his paws.

"I always come here whenever I feel sorry for myself," he mused. "Seeing this cheers me up somehow. It's always so uplifting."

He shook his head. "There you go again, Riolu," he muttered. "Talking to yourself again!"

He sighed, looking down at his paws. "I can't help myself though... I don't have anyone else to talk to... Sometimes I wish I had someone else here with me... so that I don't have to talk to myself all the time..."

He looked around, and something in the distance caught his eye. He raised an eyebrow.

_What could that be?_

He walked closer, noticing it was a Pokemon. He gasped.

_Someone's collapsed onto the sand!_

He ran up to the Pokemon, frantically shaking its shoulder.

"What happened?! Are you okay?!"

~o~o~o~o~

_Who's... Who's calling me?_

The girl struggled to open her eyes. When she did, she saw someone standing over here.

_A... a Riolu? _

"Oh good! You're awake!" the young Pokemon breathed. "Thank goodness!"

_He's talking? How can he talk... and why am I not as surprised as I should be?_

She struggled to her feet, finding it surprisingly difficult.

_Where in the world am I...?_

"I saw you laying here unconcious," he said. "You weren't moving at all! I was seriously worried! What happened? Do you remember how you ended up here?"

"I..." the girl began. "I really don't know... where am I anyway?"

"You're on Treasure Beach," the Riolu replied. "Do you remember anything?"

The girl giggled. "I'm pretty sure I'm a human."

The Riolu gasped. "A... a human?! You can't be! You're an Eevee!"

_Wait, did he just say I'm an Eevee?!_

She looked down, seeing not feet, but tiny brown paws. However, it was fairly hard to see them with the ruff of white fur in the way. She spun around in a circle, catching sight of a bushy tail. She gulped, and stared at her reflection in the waves of the ocean. She gaped in horror as she saw the face of an Eevee staring back up at her.

_I-it's true! I am an Eevee!_

"I don't... I don't understand!" she squeaked. "How did this even happen?!"

The Riolu stared at her. "You're kind of odd..." he muttered. "Are you pulling some kind of trick on me? If you are, it isn't very funny."

She shook her head frantically, and he nodded thoughtfully. "Okay, well can you tell me your name at least?"

"Umm... Give me a second! It'll come to me!" She kneaded her paws against the soft sand, and a light clicked in her head.

"My name... I think... I think my name is Gina," she said.

"Gina?" he replied. "I've never seen you around before."

"What about you?" Gina asked. "What's your name?"

He straightened up. "My name is Riolu."

Gina frowned. "You're a Riolu named Riolu? Really?"

He rolled his eyes. "Nevermind that. You don't seem to be a bad Pokemon." He suddenly realized what he had just said, and stuttered nervously. "S-sorry I doubted you for a second. You see, bad Pokemon are popping up all over the place! It's kind of hard to trust anyone these days..."

Gina nodded, and she noticed two more Pokemon creeping up behind Riolu. She was about to call out a warning, when one of them tackled Riolu from behind, knocking him over and causing his necklace to fall off. Looking at them and thinking harder, Gina recognized them as a Koffing and Zubat.

"Oops!" Koffing said with a tone of fake apology. "I beg your pardon! I didn't see you there!"

Riolu got up and glared at them, his red eyes glistening. "What was that for?!"

"Heh, isn't it obvious?" Zubat sneered. "We wanted to mess with you! Can't you see that?"

"Wh-what?" Riolu stammered, his legs shaking.

Koffing stared at the necklace. "That's yours, isn't it?"

"Uh... Y-yes, that's-"

"Sorry, kid! We'll be taking that!" Zubat swooped down, picking up the necklace and let it dangle around his neck.

Riolu didn't do anything but stare in utter disbelief. His lips trembled as he attemtped to make words of what had happened.

"Aww, what's the matter?" Koffing snickered. "Too scared to come and get it back? I didn't expect that you'd be such a big coward!"

He turned to Zubat. "Come on. Let's go."

Zubat turned to them. "See you around, chickens!"

Laughing, the two of them went off into a cave, the sounds of their laughter echoing mockingly off of the walls.

Gina looked at Riolu, who was on the verge of tears.

"Well that was pretty rude," Gina remarked.

He sniffed, then turned to her. "What should I do?" he asked. "That's... it was my personal treasure... it means everything to me. I can't lose it!"

Gina tilted her head. "Your personal treasure?"

Riolu nodded. His eyes glittered with tears, but he shook them away. "I need to get that back! I don't have any time to lose!" Riolu stepped closer towards Gina. "Can you help me get it back, Gina?"

She frowned, and looked down at her paws. _What should I do? I don't even know him but... No. He clearly needs my help._

"Okay," Gina finally said, nodding eagerly. "I'll help you."

Riolu smiled widely. "Really? Thank you, Gina! Let's go right now!"

He dashed off towards the cave, and Gina stared back down at her paws, unsure of how she would walk with four legs instead of two. Riolu looked back at her in confusion, and he caught on.

"It's okay. It's really easy when you get the hang of it. Just move your front left leg, then back right leg, front right leg, then back left leg, and so on."

Gina bit her bottom lip, doing as he instructed. It was surprisingly easier than she thought it would be, and she squealed with delight. She took several more steps, eventually walking around in a circle.

"I'm going to try running next!" she squeaked, tripping over herself as she tried, and failed, to run into the cave.

Riolu sighed. "She sure is excitable." He slowly followed behind, hoping she wouldn't be tripping all over the place when they got deeper in.

~o~o~o~o~

When he caught up to Gina, she was very busy staring all around her. "Look at all the pretty colours!" she squealed. "There's even water in here!"

_Oh wow,_ Riolu thought. _She's way more energetic than I would've anticipated. _

Gina suddenly came to a halt. Riolu peered past her, and saw a Kabuto staring her down. She beamed. "Hi!"

The Kabuto wasted no time in attacking her with Scratch. She leapt back, the attack narrowly missing her. "Hey! What gives? I was just being friendly!"

Riolu sighed. "They don't exactly respond in the best way to friendliness. Let me help you out."

He lunged forward, knocking out the Kabuto with Quick Attack. The Water-Type Pokemon scuttled away.

"Are you alright?" Riolu asked. "You need to be more careful."

"I don't even know how to attack yet!" Gina protested. "Give me a break!"

Riolu scratched his chin, realizing he hadn't even taught her that yet.

"Okay... Well from what I know, you should probably be able to use Tackle and Flail."

"Flail?" Gina asked. "I know what Tackle is, and I could probably do that, but what's Flail?"

"Well, it's as the name suggests," Riolu replied. "You flail around and attack your opponent."

"Er... That doesn't seem very useful to me," Gina remarked.

"It works better when you're weaker."

Gina rolled her eyes. "Still doesn't make much sense to me, but okay. Whatever! Let's just get through this cave and find your treasure!"

Riolu grinned and nodded. "Right!"

She took a path to the north, soon finding a large slope leading down underground.

"Hey! This must lead to another floor!" Gina exclaimed, running over to it and slipping down.

"Gina!" Riolu's eyes widened in alarm, and he stared down the slope. "Are you okay?!"

"I was right!" Her voice echoed up from underground. "This did lead to another floor!"

Riolu let out a sigh of relief, and walked more slowly down to the second floor.

~o~o~o~o~

Gina bounced up and down as the end of the cave came into view. "Look Riolu! I can see Koffing and Zubat!"

Riolu ran ahead of her. "Come on then!"

Gina and Riolu approached the two crooks, who had their backs facing them. Riolu took a deep breath, and stepped forward.

"H-hey!"

The two Poison-Types turned around and grinned. "Well, well, well," Koffing said. "Look who it is! It's our old friend, the big chicken!"

Riolu gulped, and yelled, "Give me back what you stole from me! That was my personal treasure! It means everything to me!"

"Is that so? Treasure?" Zubat asked. "It's really that valuble?"

"It's probably worth more than we thought," Koffing said. "Maybe we should try selling it. It might actually get a good price!" He laughed. "All the more reason not to give it back!"

Riolu gasped. "Wh-what?! You can't!"

Zubat snickered. "If you really want it back that badly..." He bared his fangs. "Then come and get it!"

Riolu and Gina prepared themselves, as Koffing and Zubat came towards them.

"Riolu!" Gina yelped. "What do I do?!"

"Attack!" Riolu yelled, as he slammed into Koffing with a solid Quick Attack. Gina turned her attention to Zubat, who was already in front of her.

He used Bite, latching onto her ear. Gina flung him off, tackling him into the ground. The bat attacked her again, but she avoided him, using Tackle again, knocking him out.

The Eevee panted. She had to hand it to Zubat, he was pretty strong. Riolu was fighting off Koffing, with slight difficulty. Gina stepped in front of him, taking a strong Tackle attack from Koffing. She struggled to her feet, losing her strength quickly.

"Gina!" Riolu yelled. "Flail! Just use Flail!"

Gina's eyes widened, and she glared up at Koffing, who was about to deal the final blow. She flung herself upwards, slamming her back paws into Koffing's chin. Riolu finished him off by attacking him with Quick Attack once again in midair. Koffing flew back, slamming hard into the ground.

Gina puffed out her chest. "Had enough yet?"

Koffing and Zubat groaned in response.

"That... that was embarrassing..." Zubat muttered.

They eventually got up, and Koffing glared defiantly at them.

"Blast it..." he muttered. "How'd we get defeated by these wimps?"

"Whatever!" Zubat huffed. "Here! Take your stupid 'treasure'!"

He flung the necklace towards them, and Riolu caught it in his paw.

"Don't you dare think you're so awesome!" Koffing snapped. "Your victory was a fluke! You just got lucky this time!"

"Yeah! You remember that!" Zubat shouted, before he and Koffing scurried past them, out of the cave.

Riolu stared at the stone in his paw. "It's my Relic Fragment." He tied it around his neck. "I'm so glad that I... I actually managed to get it back."

He turned to Gina. "It's all thanks to you..."

Gina beamed. "I'm just happy I was able to help you, Riolu."

Riolu smiled at this. "Thank you... thank you so much, Gina!"

~o~o~o~o~

"I honestly can't thank you enough," Riolu said for possibly the tenth time since they got out of the cave.

Gina grinned. _I only helped him because I just so happened to be there... but I don't care! He's clearly very grateful!_

Riolu held up the stone. "This is what they stole from me. It's my Relic Fragment, or at least, that's what I call it. It's my treasure."

"Wow... it's so cool..." Gina mused.

"You know, I've always liked to hear legends and tales from the past," Riolu said. "They're just so exciting! Don't you feel the same? Troves of treasure and strange relics..."

Gina's eyes glowed as he went on.

"Uncharted territories veiled in darkness, and new lands waiting to be discovered! They must be chock full of gold and treasure, and history! Wouldn't it be awesome to make historic discoveries?"

He turned his head towards the sea. "I've always dreamed of that. It's just so exciting to me! Then one day... I found my Relic Fragment. Yeah, it looks like a piece of junk, but..."

"There's that strange pattern," Gina remarked. "I don't think I've ever seen anything like it."

"Exactly!" Riolu exclaimed. "It must lead to something mysterious! It must be the key to legendary places!"

Gina stared at the Relic Fragment. The pattern was so intricate and odd, but it really did feel as though there was some kind of signifigance tied to it.

"That's why I want to join an exploration team," Riolu said. Gina looked up.

"What's an exploration team?" she asked.

"A group of Pokemon that go all over the world and discover... well, almost everything, from gold and treasure to different places!" Riolu's voice was increasing in pitch as he became more and more excited. "This fragment must fit into something... somewhere! I want to find out what that is. I want to solve the mystery of the Relic Fragment!"

His face fell. "I tried to join an exploration team earlier as an apprentice... but I was too scared..."

He looked back up at Gina. "So... What are you going to do now, Gina? You have amnesia, you somehow transformed into a Pokemon... Do you have anywhere to stay?"

Gina looked down, and shook her head.

"Then... Can I ask you something?" When the Eevee nodded, Riolu continued. "Will you form an exploration team with me? I feel much safer and braver when I'm with you. So will you? Please?"

Gina sighed. _What should I do? I guess it's true that I don't have anywhere to go, and I don't know what to do next... I, too, feel safer when I'm around him... maybe I'll figure out who or what I am by being with him... Alright then! That's settled!_

She smiled. "Yes, Riolu! I'll make an exploration team with you!"

Riolu beamed. "R-really? You will?!" He cheered. "Yes! Thank you Gina! We'll be a great combination!"

He looked toward the cliffs. "We need to go to Wigglytuff's Guild first. We'll apprentice there. We'll train there to become a first-rate exploration team!"

Riolu looked back at her. "It'll probably be tough... But we can do this! Let's give this our all, Gina!"

Gina grinned, determination shining in her eyes. "Yeah!"

The two of them walked side by side, as they headed away from the beach, ready to begin their journey together to try and become the best exploration team there ever was.

* * *

**Well, that's the first chapter! I know the fight scenes need work, so I'll be working a little on that. Anyways, please review, and have a nice day!**


	2. Chapter 2

**As promised, the second chapter. Enjoy!**

* * *

"So this is it?" Gina asked.

They had finally made their way up a surprisingly large staircase, and now stood in front of a tent that looked very much like a Wigglytuff.

"Yep, this is the place," Riolu replied, looking around him. Wooden spears tied together to form large Xs lead the way up to the tent. Two torches situated beside either side of the building burned brightly and stood out against the quickly darkening sky.

"We'll train to be explorers here," Riolu said. Then he shuddered. "Still, I can't help but notice that this place is really weird..."

"Yeah," Gina said. "I mean, do they ever put out those flames? And why have all these spears?"

Riolu frowned. "That's not what I meant. I mean, they have this!" He pointed towards a large hole in the ground, covered by a grate. "Wouldn't it be easier to just have guards outside or something?"

Gina shrugged. "Let's just go in already!"

Riolu gulped, and stepped towards the grate. He let out a nervous chuckle. "I can't do this." He was about to head back down the stairs, when Gina darted in front of him.

"Yes, you can," Gina urged. "Don't be so nervous! Besides, that was one big set of stairs, and I'm not about to go back down there only to come right back up again after you eventually come to your senses and try again! We're here now, so we're going to get this done, now!"

Her dark eyes bore into his for a long moment, when finally he nodded. "You're right." Riolu took a deep breath. "I have Gina with me now," he whispered to himself.

He stepped onto the grate, and jumped when someone shouted up at him once again.

"Pokemon detected! Pokemon detected!"

"Whose footprint? Whose footprint?"

"The footprint is Riolu's! The footprint is Riolu's!"

Riolu flinched, and he clutched instinctively at his necklace. "N-no... I have to be strong..."

It wasn't long before the voice shouted again. "You may ENTER!" The voice paused for a moment. "There's someone with you! So get off and tell them to stand up here!"

_How do they know there's two of us?_ Gina wondered.

Riolu did as instructed, and he looked at Gina. "I think they mean you. They want you to get up on the grate."

"I heard," Gina said. She stepped forward, examining at the hole. "I guess it's safe. It is made so no one can fall through after all."

"Just get on the GRATE!" the voice shouted.

Gina rolled her eyes. _Just quit being so dang pushy._ She stepped on the grate, and the usual shouting ensued. Even though she was expecting it, she still flinched slightly when it happened.

"Pokemon detected! Pokemon detected!"

"Whose footprint? Whose footprint?"

However, the first voice paused for a moment.

"The footprint is... the footprint is... um..."

"What's wrong? Sentry Diglett? What's going on?!"

The first voice, apparently Diglett, stammered nervously.

"Umm... The footprint is... maybe Eevee's! Maybe Eevee's!"

"MAYBE?! Are you kidding me?!"

"I'm sorry... it isn't a footprint you normally see around here..."

"Well, isn't checking the footprints of visiting Pokemon your JOB?!"

"Yes... but I don't know what I don't know!"

"That has got to be the DUMBEST excuse I have ever HEARD, Diglett!"

Riolu and Gina looked at each other. "Are... are they arguing?" Riolu wondered aloud.

"I would think it's kind of rude to argue while they're supposedly doing their jobs," Gina remarked.

The arguing went on for a while longer, and the second voice spoke, or more likely yelled, once again.

"Sorry to make you WAIT. It's true that Eevee are rarely sighted in these parts, but you don't SEEM to be bad. Oh well! Good enough! ENTER!"

The iron gate covering the entrance to the tent suddenly rose, causing the ground to shake. Riolu jumped back with alarm. He let himself calm down before speaking again.

"W-well, at least we're finally allowed in," he said. "Alright, let's go."

He and Gina walked through the entrance, surprised to see nothing but a hatch leading underground. Looking around, Gina saw several arrows telling them to follow the hatch. Riolu and Gina looked at each other, gave slight nods, and descended the ladder.

Needless to say, the Guild was far bigger than they expected. Riolu's eyes glowed. "So this is Wigglytuff's Guild!"

Many Pokemon were inside, talking and looking at two message boards on the walls. The Pokemon that caught Gina's eyes were a Vulpix and a Shinx, the former staring at them through narrowed eyes. The Shinx looked as though he were about to come over and talk to them, before the Vulpix hissed something under her breath and hit him roughly over the ear with her paw.

"I wonder if they're all from exploration teams?" Gina asked, turning back to Riolu.

"They probably are," Riolu replied. "I mean, why else would so many Pokemon gather in one place like this?"

"Excuse me!"

The two of them spun around to see another Pokemon, a very colorful looking bird, emerge from a second ladder and walk towards them.

"It was you two that just came in, correct?" he asked.

"Yes!" Riolu and Gina said in unison.

"My name is Chatot!" he introduced himself. "I'm the Pokemon in the know around here! I am also Guildmaster Wigglytuff's right-hand Pokemon!" He surprised Gina with what he said next. "Now go on! Get out of here! We've no time for salespeople or silly surveys! Off you go, if you please!"

"Hey, hold on a second!" Gina exclaimed. "We aren't salespeople!"

"We came to form an exploration team!" Riolu added.

Chatot's eyes widened in alarm. "An exploration team?!" He turned away, and began to mutter to himself. "It's rare to see kids like these want to apprentice at the guild, expecially given how difficult our training is! Surely the steady stream of Pokemon who run away from here proves how true that is!"

Gina tilted her head. "It's not really that hard is it? Are you telling the truth?"

The bird spun around. "O-of course not! It isn't true at all! It's very easy! Easy as can be! Forget what I said about it being hard!"

He chuckled. "I wish you told me up front that you wanted to be an exploration team!"

Riolu leaned over to whisper into Gina's ear. "What a shift in attitude, don't you think?"

"Alright! Follow me! We'll get your team signed up right away!" Chatot hopped towards the second ladder. Gina and Riolu simply stared, unable to believe what had just happened. Chatot gestured with his wing for them to follow. "Come along! Quickly please!"

They followed him slowly down the ladder, which lead to another floor.

"This is our second underground floor," Chatot said. "This is where the apprentices mostly work. Now follow me, team registration is this way."

Doing as instructed, they shortly arrived in front of a pair of large wooden doors with a swirl pattern on them. Gina broke away from Riolu and Chatot to stare out the window. Riolu tried to call her back, but she simply ignored him.

"Look, Riolu! We're two floors underground, and we can still see outside!"

"Oh, please!" Chatot scoffed. "The guild is built into the side of a cliff. Of course you can still see outside!"

Gina sighed and returned to the group.

Chatot continued with his tour. "This is Guildmaster Wigglytuff's chamber," he said, gesturing towards the door. "Now, you must never, I repeat never, be discourteous to the Guildmaster."

"Why?" Gina asked, her ears twitching curiously.

"You don't want to find out." Chatot turned towards the door. "Guildmaster! It's Chatot! I'm coming in!"

He opened the doors, and Gina spotted a pink, long-eared Pokemon with his back faced towards them. He didn't make a single sound or movement when they had come in.

"Guildmaster! I have brought you two Pokemon who wish to join the guild as apprentices."

The Guildmaster made no indication that he heard Chatot.

The bird Pokemon narrowed his eyes. "Um... Guildmaster? Hello?"

He continued to stare at the wall in front of him, when he suddenly turned around, scaring the living daylights out of both Riolu and Gina.

The Guildmaster's large green eyes glowed with friendliness. "Hi there! I'm Wigglytuff! I'm the guild's Guildmaster!"

Riolu straightened up, in spite of his nervousness. "I'm Riolu, and this is my partner, Gina."

He smiled at Gina and Riolu. "Great to meetcha both! You said you wanted to form an exploration team? Okay then! We need to register your team's name first! So what's your team's name?"

Riolu looked overwhelmed. "Our team's name? We never even thought of that!"

"I did!" Gina said excitedly, and she turned to Riolu. "I wanted to call it Team Diamond."

"Diamond? Why that?" Riolu asked.

"I don't really know," Gina replied. "It just seems really fitting for us. We want to shine, right? Why not give ourselves a shiny name?"

Riolu stared at her as though she were completely insane. "Well, it just sounds kind of... girly. But I guess when you put it that way, it really does suit us!"

_As long as it makes sense to you, I'll be fine,_ Riolu thought.

Riolu looked back at Wigglytuff. "Our team name is Team Diamond."

Wigglytuff turned around, and when he turned back he held out a small object. It looked almost like a badge of some sort. It had two wing-like objects on its sides. In its center was a large, pink gem. Wigglytuff turned it over and set it down.

"This is your Explorer Badge! The team leader needs to imprint their footprint into the back of this, so that we can identify you as an official exploration team!" Wigglytuff explained.

Riolu and Gina exchanged a glance. They hadn't decided who would be the team leader at the time. Riolu nodded, wanting Gina to be the one to mark the badge. Gina let out a nervous breath, and pressed one of her front paws into it. The material felt almost like clay, and it molded to the shape of her paw.

She lifted her paw up from the material, shaking off any excess clay and examined the print. Wigglytuff lifted the badge into the air. "All registered! YOOM... TAH!"

He unleashed a low-power Hyper Voice, and Riolu and Gina tried with all their might not to be completely blown away by the force. When the noise quieted down, Wigglytuff handed them the badge. Just like that, the clay had completely dried.

"Congratulations!" the Guildmaster exclaimed. "You're now an official exploration team! I present to you this in commemoration!"

In front of them he place a small yellow box. Riolu eyed it curiously. "A Pokemon Exploration Team Kit?"

"Yep! It contains everything that you need to become a successful exploration team! Open it up."

Inside of the box were two things: the first being a roll of paper tied together by a red ribbon; the second being a small brown satchel with a red strap, and a flap held closed by a clasp that looked almost like their exploration team badge.

"Wow! There are lots of things in here!" Gina said. "What are they?"

"That's your Wonder Map," Wigglytuff explained. "Which helps you find dungeons and other places. It's very useful! As well, you have your Explorer Badge! But you already know what that does! And that's your Treasure Bag, which can hold many marvelous items inside! Open it up!"

Riolu did as suggested, and inside was a long piece of red fabric. Riolu grinned, wrapping it around his neck.

"What is it?" Gina asked.

"It's a Power Band," Riolu explained. "It raises my Attack power. I can't believe I actually got one though..."

Gina looked back at Wigglytuff, grinning. "Don't worry, Wigglytuff! We won't disappoint you!" Gina promised.

"Good to hear!" Wigglytuff said. "But you're only apprenticing right now. So do your best... To train!"

"Of course!" Riolu turned to Gina, his eyes shining. "We'll do our best, won't we, Gina?"

"Yeah! You can count on us!" Gina pranced around her partner.

"Now that that's done, you must come with me," Chatot said, turning towards the door. "Dinner is almost ready."

~o~o~o~o~

After dinner, Gina flopped down onto one of the beds of straw that were prepared for her and Riolu in their room.

"That's got to be the best meal I've had in... well, ever!" Gina exclaimed.

"I'll say," Riolu agreed. "Usually I'd make food for myself, but it's nice knowing we'll be looked after well enough here."

Chatot poked his head into their room. "How are you two settling in?"

"Just fine, thank you!" Gina grinned.

"Good! We start bright and early in the morning, and you'll be getting busy tomorrow, so I suggest that you get to bed as soon as possible! That is all."

He hopped down the corridor, and Riolu laid down in his bed. "He's right. If we have to get up that early tomorrow, we might as well get to sleep now."

Gina curled up into a tight ball, folding her tail over her nose and shutting her eyes. "Okay. Goodnight."

Not much time passed after that. The light of the full moon shone through the small window of their room. Gina opened her eyes, unable to get to sleep.

"Hey, Riolu," she whispered. "Are you sleeping?"

His tail twitched. "I was, then you interrupted it."

"Hehe, sorry."

"Nevermind. Wasn't today hectic, Gina?" Riolu said, changing the subject. "My heart's still pounding out of my chest! But I'm glad I finally made myself come here."

"I thought Wigglytuff would be scary, didn't you?" Gina asked.

"Yeah! But he seemed pretty friendly," Riolu replied. "We'll be experiencing all kinds of things starting tomorrow, but to be honest, I'm not very scared. In fact, it's the other way around. I'm excited for the adventures we'll face!"

Riolu yawned. "I'm feeling a little tired... let's give it our all tomorrow..."

He said nothing more as he drifted off to sleep. Gina stared at him, before she settled down and attempted to fall asleep. But she couldn't shake the thoughts that buzzed around in her mind.

_I'll admit, it's pretty exciting being on an exploration team, and being friends with Riolu is fun, too. But first things first... who am I? How did I turn into a Pokemon? How did I end up unconcious on that beach? _

Her thoughts began to fade as sleepiness began to overtake her.

_Thinking about all these things won't help right now. I need to focus on the guild's work! If I do that... everything should become clear eventually. Surely I'll get to the bottom of this in time..._

Her thoughts soon faded into blackness as sleep finally caught up to her, and drifted off, fast asleep.

* * *

**Alright, the third chapter is coming soon. **

**Please review, and have a nice day!**


	3. Chapter 3

**At long last! I have finally updated!**

* * *

"Gina! Hurry up! This way!"

"Yes, Gina, I promise you'll be safe. Now hurry!"

"No! Not that way! Gina!"

She tossed and turned in her sleep, trying to see where these voices were coming from. Everything was dark, and the only thing she could hear was that voice, which seemed very strangely familiar.

Eventually, her dream was shattered by the loudest noise she had ever heard.

"HEY! RISE AND SHINE!"

The noise boomed all around her, almost threatening to shatter her eardrums.

"Why are you still ASLEEP? WAKE UP!"

Gina's eyes opened. She had no idea where she was at first, but then she remembered that she was in her bedroom at the guild. She spotted Riolu beginning to wake up as well.

"My poor ears..." he muttered.

Gina strained her eyes to see the Pokemon standing in the entrance, but they were still bleary from sleep.

"Snap out of it!" the Pokemon shouted. "I'm Loudred! I'm a fellow apprentice! If you're late for the morning briefing, you'll be SORRY! So MOVE it! Guildmaster Wigglytuff has a big temper. If you make him lose it..." He shuddered. "That would be one SCARY scene! I've got goose bumps just thinking about it!"

He looked back at them. "ANYWAY... I'm not about to get in trouble because some rookies got up late! SO GET IT IN GEAR!"

As he left their room, Riolu shook his head, attempting to get his hearing back. "What did he say again? Something about getting ready?"

Both Riolu and Gina's eyes snapped open, their faces frozen into masks of horror.

"We're apprenticing at Wigglytuff's guild now," Gina stated.

"We overslept, didn't we?" Riolu asked.

"Yep."

They immediately scrambled out of their beds, squeezing past each other in a fight to get out of the room first.

They sprinted to the main room where other apprentices had already gathered, including the Vulpix and Shinx that Gina saw yesterday.

"You're LATE, rookies!" Loudred shouted.

Chatot scowled. "Hush, Loudred! It's still early, and your voice is ridiculously loud!"

Loudred huffed, and Chatot scanned the crowd. "Everyone seems to finally be present. Very well. Let us conduct our morning address." He faced the doors to Wigglytuff's room. "Guildmaster! The guild is in full attendance!"

The doors opened, and Wigglytuff walked out casually, facing the gathered apprentices.

"Thank you for joining us, Guildmaster! Please address the crew," Chatot instructed.

The Guildmaster said nothing, and it almost seemed as if he were...snoring?

Everyone began to stifle small laughs, and they whispered among themselves.

"Guildmaster Wigglytuff never ceases to amaze me!"

"Yup, looks like he's wide awake."

"Eek! His eyes are wide open! But he's fast asleep!"

Chatot nodded nervously. "Thank you, Guildmaster! We value your...words of wisdom!"

He flapped his wings for everyone's attention. "Okay, everyone! Take the Guildmaster's words of wisdom to heart! Finally, let's not forget our morning cheers! All together now!"

Gina and Riolu stared at each other in confusion, wondering what Chatot meant.

"Maybe we'll just listen for now?" Gina suggested.

"That sounds like a good idea," Riolu said.

The guild raised their voices as they began their cheers. "One! Don't shirk work! Two! Run away and pay! Three! Smiles go for miles!"

Eventually Chatot joined in. "Okay, Pokemon! Get to work!"

"Hooray!"

With that, the group dispersed, and Gina and Riolu were left standing alone with Chatot, who hopped over to them.

"Come with me you two, I need to show you something." They climbed up the ladder, coming to the middle floor. Chatot led them to a message board covered in papers.

"You're just beginners. We'll be starting off with an assignment from the Job Bulletin Board," he explained. "Pokemon from various regions post job requests here."

Gina tilted her head. "Job requests?"

Chatot nodded. "You're aware that bad Pokemon are popping up in greater numbers all over the place, correct?"

"I heard about that," Riolu said. "It's because the flow of time is getting messed up and wreaking havoc, right?"

_This is one weird place,_ Gina thought. _First I get transformed into a Pokemon, and next time is getting messed up, causing bad Pokemon to appear._

"Exactly, Riolu," Chatot said. "Perhaps because of this, job requests have also increased in number. Though it's unknown whether time has an influence, we've also noticed a mass outbreak of... Mystery dungeons."

"Mystery dungeons?" Gina asked, looking at Riolu. "What are those?"

"Well, remember when we got my Relic Fragment back yesterday?" When Gina nodded, he continued. "That place was a mystery dungeon. Mystery dungeons change every time you go into it. There's a different layout and different items each time you go into it. If you faint in the middle of a dungeon, you get kicked right out." His eyes suddenly brightened. "But every time you go in, there's always something new to discover! They're really fantastic places to explore!"

"You're very informed aren't you? That will make things much easier to explain for me!" Chatot praised. "Jobs will all take places in mystery dungeons." He turned towards the board. "So let's look for a job that you two could do!"

He pulled one down from the bottom. After reading it over for a moment, he handed it to Riolu. "This one should do."

Riolu held the paper between him and Gina. Their eyes shifted back and forth quickly as they read the letter.

_Hello! My name is Spoink! An outlaw had run off with my precious pearl! That pearl is life itself...to me! I can't settle down if that pearl isn't in its proper place atop my head! I've heard that my pearl has been sighted in Drenched Bluff, but it is reported to be extremely unsafe. I simply cannot go somewhere so frightening. Please, exploration team members, go get my pearl for me! I'm counting on you!_

Sincerely, Spoink

"Wait a second," Gina turned her head towards Chatot. "We're only going to fetch an item that someone dropped?! What's so important about that?! Can't we do something that's more like an adventure?"

Chatot glared at her. "Remember what he said about the pearl being his life? He isn't kidding. Now get on with the job like I asked you to!"

Gina's eyes widened at his sudden mood swing, and she groaned. "Alright, fine."

~o~o~o~o~

Gina and Riolu stopped as the path they were walking on narrowed. Boulders lined the sides of the paths, moss extending across the top. Straining her ears, Gina swore she could hear the sound of rushing water.

"This must be it," Riolu mused. "Drenched Bluff."

"The mission description said that the pearl is supposedly on the bottom seventh floor," Gina said. "How will we know what floor we're on?"

Riolu shrugged. "We'll find out when we get in there. Let's be careful."

Gina led the way into the bluff, which soon sprawled out into an open space shielded by rock walls. Shimmering streams surrounded the area, and several paths spread out into the unknown.

"This isn't nearly as pretty as the last place we visited," Gina huffed.

"We don't have time to think about how pretty this place is," Riolu said. "We need to find Spoink's pearl."

"Yeah, about that, why was Chatot so urgent about it?" Gina asked. "Isn't it just some regular old pearl?"

"A Spoink's pearl is very important," Riolu explained. "It's widely believed that the pearl can regulate its heartbeat if it isn't bouncing. No one is really sure if this rumor is true or not, but it's always best to just play it safe."

Gina sighed. "I guess that makes more sense."

"Good. Then let's get a move on."

Gina led the way into one of the paths, spotting one of the slopes leading to the second floor. She slid down it, squealing with delight, and Riolu simply walked down, spotting Gina coming face-to-face with a bright pink Shellos.

"You remember how to attack, right?" Riolu called.

His question was quickly answered as Gina delivered a Tackle right into the Shellos, immediately knocking it out.

"Does that answer your question?" Gina asked with a smirk.

He rolled his eyes. _At least I don't have to teach her how to attack again. _

They continued through the dungeon, and Gina was soon distracted by something lying on the ground. Taking a closer look at it, Riolu realized it was just a small amount of coins.

"Put those in the treasure bag," Riolu instructed. Gina happily obliged, scooping them up in her paws and placing them in the bag.

"What are they, anyway?" Gina asked.

"They're called Poké," Riolu explained. "It's the money that we use here."

"How much can we carry?"

"More than enough," Riolu replied. "Why?"

Gina pranced in a circle around another pile of Poké. "Because I just found more!"

Riolu grinned. "Great! When we get back, we'll be rich!"

~o~o~o~o~

"I think this is the deepest part," Riolu remarked, looking around.

Gina looked ahead. "Riolu! Over there!"

She sprinted ahead, into a large clearing with a small spring, its water seeping into the cracks between the rocks.

She halted in front of a small, pink, sparkling sphere. "Is this Spoink's pearl?"

Riolu examined it, and nodded. "That's definitely it."

"Can I poke it?"

"Wha-? No!" Riolu gently lifted up the pearl. "It's Spoink's pearl. We need to be extremely careful with it. That means no poking it roughly or throwing it around!"

"Alright, whatever, let's just get back to the guild!" Gina said.

~o~o~o~o~

The gray Pokemon bounced up and down on his springy tail, his pearl perched up on top of his head. "Thank you so much! You see, this pearl needs to be on my head at all times! I just couldn't settle down without it! So I was just boinging around all over the place!"

Riolu looked Spoink up and down, noticing that he was almost completely covered in bumps and bruises. "That must have been awful for you."

"It was! But thanks to you, it's over now! Let me give you this in thanks!" He bounced over to Gina, placing in front of her a small bag.

Gina opened it, and found three bottles labelled Protein, Calcium and Iron.

"Those will raise our power," Riolu explained. "It'll make us stronger in dungeons."

At the very bottom of the bag was something that made Gina's eyes go wide in surprise and pleasure. She saw that it was enough coins to amount up to 2,000 Poké.

"This...this is all for us?" Gina asked, still grinning widely.

"But of course!" Spoink said. "Compared to my pearl's value, that's nothing!"

Bidding farewell, Spoink hopped his way back up the ladder, leaving the guild.

"Riolu, you were right!" Gina squealed, jumping on top of him in an enormous hug. "We're rich!"

"H-hey! Get offa me!" Riolu stammered, his cheeks burning with embarrassment.

"Well done you two!" Chatot beamed. "Now, hand over that money, if you please!"

The two broke away from their hug, staring at Chatot and asking in unison, "What?!"

Chatot took the Poké from the bag. "You see, most of the money you recieve from jobs goes to the Guildmaster. Your share comes out to this much!"

Chatot placed the significantly smaller amount of Poké in front of them. Gina stared at it, her eyes wide. "We...we only get to keep 200 Poké?"

"That's the rule of the guild," Chatot stated. "You must learn to accept it."

Gina stared down at her feet.

"Now, you still haven't met the rest of the guild, have you?" Chatot asked.

When they both shook their heads, Chatot chirped with laughter. "Well, there's something for you to do while you wait for dinner! You'll be living with us for quite a while, so I suggest you get to that."

Riolu sighed, and nodded. "Okay. We'll get to that." He looked at Gina. "Come on."

Gina climbed down the ladder, Riolu close behind. When they got to the second floor, they saw many of the guild Pokemon staring at them.

"Uhh..." Riolu's gaze shifted. "Hi?"

One of the Pokemon came over to them, a green and yellow Grass-type. "Hi!" she said in a cheery voice. "What are your names?"

"I'm Gina!" the Eevee felt more enthusiastic with the Pokemon's presence. "And this is my partner, Riolu! Who are you?"

"I'm Sunflora!" she replied. "Have you met anyone else besides Chatot and Guildmaster Wigglytuff yet?"

"Not yet," Riolu said. "We haven't had much of a chance."

"Well, I can help with that!" Sunflora turned to the rest of the guild. "You probably already know Loudred, he's the alarm clock for the guild!"

"I do MORE than just wake you up!" Loudred protested. "I'm also one of the sentries! Diglett over here is my partner!"

A small brown Pokemon popped up out of the ground. "Hi. Loudred and I were the ones that cleared you for entry when you first came here. Dugtrio is my father, but he isn't here right now."

"You'll know Chimecho when you see her," Sunflora said. "She prepares the meals for the guild."

A red Water-type Pokemon snapped his claws. "Hey, hey! I'm Corphish! It's nice to meet you!"

Sunflora turned her head towards the hall which let to the bedrooms. "Bidoof! Are you in there?"

"Yup, yup! I'm coming!" A fat brown Pokemon with buck teeth shuffled out of the hall. "I'm Bidoof, by golly!"

"Over there in that stall is Croagunk," Sunflora turned them towards a dark blue Pokemon with his back facing them. "You can probably tell he doesn't talk much."

Gina peered past Sunflora, looking at the Vulpix and Shinx. "Who are they?"

The Vulpix heard her, and she got up, walking towards them slowly, the Shinx following close behind.

"I think we can take it from here Sunflora," she said flatly. Sunflora let them be, and the Vulpix stared at Gina, her dark grayish-green eyes narrowing. "So you're the new apprentices. Your names are Gina and Riolu, right?"

Gina nodded. "You must be Vulpix and Shinx!"

Her lip curled in disgust. "Of course not! My name is Amber, and this my brother."

Amber nudged him forward, and he looked down at his paws shyly. "I'm Jasper. We're newcomers, like you, b-but we came here a few days before you did. And...uh..."

Amber glared at him. "What are you stuttering for? Speak up!"

"Wait, did you just say he's your brother?" Gina asked. "How is that possible?"

Amber inched closer towards her, causing her to back down. "He is my brother. We both know that for sure."

"I-I'm sorry for Amber's behaviour," Jasper said, dipping his head. "I keep telling her that she doesn't have to do this, but she doesn't exactly listen..."

Riolu tilted his head. "That still doesn't make much sense, though. I mean, how do you know he's your brother?"

Amber's eyes glistened angrily. She loomed over Gina, whose ears had flattened against her head. "I just do, okay?! Look, just stay out of our way, don't try and pretend that you're better than us and we won't have any problems, got that?"

Just then, a bell rang. Gina turned around and saw a light blue and red Pokemon float out of one of the rooms. _That must be Chimecho,_ Gina thought.

"Thanks for waiting, everyone!" she said. "I've finished making dinner!"

Cheers erupted as the Pokemon ran into the mess hall. Amber glared at Gina as she passed. Jasper glanced apologetically at the two of them before following his sister. Gina and Riolu walked close behind them as they entered the room. Plates with large amounts of fruit awaited them.

Gina sat down in her seat beside Riolu, and, much to her dismay, she realized she was also situated beside Amber.

Chatot sat at the very end of the table, with Wigglytuff standing beside him holding a large apple. "You may all begin eating now!"

Gina bit into the Oran Berry on her plate, feeling pleased with the taste. _Maybe Amber was just in a bad mood,_ she thought. _She can't always be like that!_

She glanced at the Vulpix beside her, who was busy eating an apple.

_I can only hope that's the answer. _

~o~o~o~o~

Gina collapsed onto her bed, exhausted from the adventure she and Riolu had that day. As Riolu laid down beside her, Jasper poked his head into the room.

"Hi. I just wanted to say goodnight, and I'm sorry about what Amber said today."

"That's okay, Jasper," Gina replied. "Goodnight to you to."

The Shinx smiled, and flinched as Amber called him. "Jasper! Hurry up! I don't want you staying up late!"

"Sorry!" Jasper turned and ran to his room, near the end of the hall.

"He sure does apologize a lot," Riolu remarked as soon as he was out of earshot.

"Yeah," Gina stared at him. "Wasn't today crazy, Riolu? So much happened!"

"At least our first job was successful," Riolu replied. "It was kind of upsetting that the guild gets to keep most of the money, but I guess that's the cost of training. We can't do much about it."

"Spoink seemed really happy, though," Gina said. "We also got to meet the rest of the guild! That was fun, right?"

"Except with what Amber said to us," Riolu sighed. "At least Jasper seems nice." He yawned, and shut his eyes. "It's been a long day. We should get some sleep. Goodnight Gina. Let's try our best tomorrow..."

Gina smiled at her partner, eventually drifting off into sleep as well, hoping she didn't get another dream like last night.

* * *

**Personal theory time: Spoink's pearl can be used to regulate its heartbeat when it isn't bouncing. And yes, I know it isn't canon XD**

**Alright, I won't be updating this fanfic as often as I would like to, since I'll be wanting to finish my Warriors fanfic, Mudpool's Path. **

**Stay tuned!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Finally updated! Enjoy!**

* * *

Gina attempted to blink away the sleep in her weary eyes. "Do we have to be woken up like that every morning?" she asked Chatot.

"It's important that you get your work done as soon as possible," he replied. "So yes, you do."

Gina, Riolu and Chatot went up the ladder again, this time going to another bulletin board.

"Wait, the last time we did a job, it was on the board over there," Riolu said, pointing to the left.

"Yes, but today you'll be doing a job listed on this side," Chatot replied.

"What makes it so different from the board on the other side?" Gina asked.

"Why don't you take a closer look?"

Doing as the bird suggested, they noticed that the board was covered top to bottom with pictures of various Pokemon. Gina's eyes glittered with interest. "They look kind of cool! Are they famous explorers? Who are they?"

"The Pokemon posted here are outlaws," Chatot fixed a serious glance on them. "They're all wanted for committing crimes."

Her eyes widened in shock. "Really? They're that bad?"

"Correct. So there are bounties on their heads," Chatot explained. "In other words, there is a reward if you capture one. There are so many aggressive Pokemon nowadays that everyone is finding it hard to keep up with the problem."

"And you want us to go out and catch these guys?" Riolu gasped. "You can't be serious!"

Chatot burst into a fit of laughter. "Don't worry! The bad Pokemon out there come in all shades of badness! Some of them are completely wicked, complete monsters, you would say. But there are also bad Pokemon who are merely petty thieves. You have evil to naughty, and everything in between! So I'm sure I can avoid giving you a job capturing a super bad Pokemon."

"One more thing," Gina interrupted. "These outlaws are also in mystery dungeons, like the ones on the other board, right?"

"Correct!" Chatot praised. "Look over these posters, then pick a Pokemon that looks weak enough for you to bring to justice!"

"I know you say some of them are weak... but aren't they still bad Pokemon?" Riolu asked, shuddering.

"It's all a part of your training, I'm sure you'll work through it," Chatot assured. "But I guess you do need to be prepared, so I'll have someone give you a tour of the facilities."

Chatot turned towards the stairs. "Hey, Bidoof! Bidoof?!"

"Yup yup!" The Pokemon they had met last night came up the stairs, panting heavily. "You called?"

"These are the new recruits that just joined us!" Chatot said. "I suppose you've already met with them?"

Bidoof nodded. "Sunflora introduced them to the rest of the guild last night!"

Chatot grinned. "Good! I need you to take them and show them around the town."

"Yes sirree!" Bidoof said. "By golly, I'll do just that!"

Chatot turned back to them. "I want you two to pay attention to what Bidoof says and follow his orders," Chatot instructed. "Now if you understand all that, I suggest you get on with it!"

Chatot flew back down the ladder, and Bidoof started to tear up. "Aw, shucks, I'm so happy!"

"Why's that?" Gina inquired.

"I'm just so glad to have members junior to me, besides Amber and Jasper!" Bidoof replied. "I'm almost overcome with emotion now... I might just blubber with happiness!" He sniffled, and turned back to them, any sign that he was crying gone. "Well, I'd best show you around. Come with me, please."

Doing as Bidoof ordered, they retreated to the bottom floor of the guild.

"First things first," Bidoof began, pointing towards Croagunk. "Over there's Croagunk, but of course, you know that. To tell the truth, I don't have the slightest idea to what that guy's doing. He's always messing with that big cauldron of his!"

He turned his attention to the hall on their right. "That over there is the mess hall." Then he pointed to the other hall. "If you look that way, you'll find the crew rooms."

"But we already know this," Gina pointed out. "Why are you telling us again?"

"Well, it's important to know these things, isn't it?" Bidoof responded. "Moving on, I'll guide you both around places outside."

Leaving the guild, they followed Bidoof down the stairs, which Gina seemed very reluctant about. They followed a dirt path into a small village.

"This is the main square for the local Pokemon," Bidoof said. "It's called Treasure Town."

"I can tell you about Treasure Town, too, Gina," Riolu put in. He pointed to a small, dark gray stand. "Over there is Duskull Bank. We can save our money there." He pointed in the opposite direction to a yellow stand. "Over there is the Electivire Link Shop. That's where you can do things like link moves together so you can use them in succession, but it doesn't look like he's here today." He lowered his hand and instead looked across a small bridge. "Farther in we have the Kecleon Market, where you can buy and sell items. Last but not least, we have Kangaskhan Storage. Items stored there will never be lost."

He exhaled loudly. "Whew, that takes a lot of breath out of me! Anyways, that should do it for Treasure Town."

"You sure know a lot!" Bidoof praised. "That's good to know! Yup yup! I'll be back at the guild's upper underground floor when you're ready to go. I'll give you a helping hand with selecting the right outlaw for you."

Gina grinned. "Thanks a lot, Bidoof. You've been really nice!"

Bidoof blushed. "Aw, shucks, you're embarrassing me! Anyways, come find me when you're ready!" He walked past them, heading back to the guild.

Riolu looked at Gina. "Let's go to Kecleon Market. I'd like to see what kinds of items are available!" Gina nodded, leading the way. The river beneath the footbridge bubbled quietly as it ran downstream. Gina stopped in front of the stand. Two Kecleon grinned politely at them, one green and the other purple.

"Welcome to the Kecleon Shop!" they sang in unison.

"I'm Kecleon!" the green brother said. "My brother's name is Kakureon! What can we do for you today?"

"What do you have for items?" Riolu asked.

"We have many kinds of items on sale," Kecleon answered. "For you, I'd recommend a Blast Seed."

"What's that?" Gina tilted her head to the side.

"It allows you to breath fire at the opponent in front of you," Kakureon put in. "It's very useful!"

Gina grinned widely, and Riolu simply stared at her in concern. "We'll buy it, and an Oran Berry." _Just in case..._ he added to himself.

"Sure thing!" Kecleon turned behind him, handing them a small seed and an Oran Berry.

Gina stared at the seed. "It doesn't look too different from every other seed."

"You'll find out how useful it is when the time comes," Kakureon assured them. "Is that everything for today?"

Riolu nodded, putting the two items in the Treasure Bag and placing the appropriate amount of Poké on the counter. "Thanks for your help!"

Just then, a shout came from afar. "Misters Kecleon!" Gina looked to the side to see two blue Pokemon running towards the stall. She and Riolu moved aside to make room for them.

"Little Marill and Azurill!" the Kecleon brothers greeted in unison. "Welcome, young friends!"

Azurill stared up at them. "May I buy an Apple?" he asked.

"Most certainly!" Kecleon went into the tent, coming back out with two Apples and handing them to them.

Marill placed enough money for an Apple on the counter. "Thank you, Misters Kecleon!"

"No, thank you, my young friends!" Kecleon replied. "You are to be admired!"

When they went on their way, Kecleon turned back to Gina and Riolu. "You see, those two children are brothers. Lately, their poor mother has fallen sick. So those youngsters come and do the shopping for her."

"Doesn't she worry about her kids?" Gina asked.

"Yes," he replied. "But we assure her that her children are in good hands."

"Misters Kecleon!" Marill and Azurill came running back. "There was an extra Apple!" Azurill said.

"We didn't pay for this many," Marill added.

"That is a gift from my brother and I," Kecleon responded. "Please, share it among yourselves."

"Wow, really?" Marill grinned. "Thank you!"

As they left, Azurill didn't take notice of a small rock, and he tripped over it, dropping the extra Apple. Gina picked it back up, handing it to Azurill.

"You okay?" she asked.

"Yes," Azurill said. "Sorry to bother you. Thank you."

As Gina handed back the Apple, the fur on her body began to tingle. Her vision began to blur, and her head began to spin.

_What's going on?_ she wondered, her eyes fluttering. _Why am I so dizzy all of a sudden?_

A bright white light flashed across her eyes, and she saw nothing. She nearly jumped at the sound of a horrified scream.

"Please, someone help me!"

When her vision returned, she stared around in shock. She rested her worried gaze on Azurill. "Was that you...?"

Azurill stared at her in confusion. "Is something wrong?"

He turned around at the sound of his name, coming from Marill. "What's going on, Azurill? Hurry home!"

Azurill gave Gina a grateful glance, and ran up to Marill.

"You're okay?" Marill inspected him all over. "You're not hurt?"

"Nope! I'm okay!"

"Good, now that we're done with our shopping, we've gotta look for the item we lost!"

They left for home, Riolu grinning after them. "Ha! Those little guys are cute." He stared in concern at Gina, who was staring into space after what had just happened. "Gina? Are you okay?"

"Huh?" Gina blinked several times. "Oh, uh, yeah. Did you hear a shout for help just now?"

Riolu narrowed his eyes. "No... I didn't hear anything like that!" He looked at the Kecleon brothers. "Did you guys hear anything strange just a moment ago?"

"No, nothing out of the ordinary," Kecleon answered.

"Neither did I," his brother said.

Riolu looked back at Gina. "Maybe you just imagined it. The Kecleon brothers didn't hear anything either."

"I definitely heard it," Gina urged. "It sounded like it was Azurill's scream."

Riolu laughed. "Oh well. Let's just get going."

Gina sighed, walking back to the main part of Treasure Town. She looked over to see Azurill and Marill talking with another Pokemon. "What are they doing?" she murmured.

"Let's go see."

They walked up to them, trying to get a better look. "What's going on?" Riolu asked.

The group looked at them. "Some time ago, we lost an item that's pretty important to us," Marill began. "We've been looking all over the place, but we haven't found it yet." He turned to the other Pokemon with them. "Then Mr. Drowzee came along, and he says he may have seen our lost item somewhere! He even offered to help us look!"

Riolu beamed. "That sounds great!"

"Thank you, Mr. Drowzee!" Azurill said.

Drowzee flushed in embarrassment. "Oh please. I'd have to have a cold heart to ignore kids in need! I can't turn a blind eye! Come on, let's begin our search!"

Azurill and Marill agreed, and they led the way, Drowzee following close behind. Drowzee accidentally bumped into Gina's shoulder, surprising her slightly.

"Sorry about that," Drowzee said. "Please excuse me."

As Drowzee continued on his way, Gina's vision began to blur once again. _Not again..._ she thought, feeling sharp pangs at the side of her head.

"Drowzee sure is a nice Pokemon, isn't he?" Riolu observed. "With more and more Pokemon around, it's hard to do good deeds."

"Y-yeah, sure is..." Gina wearily muttered. White flashed before her eyes again, and this time she saw what looked like a mountainous region, and she noticed Drowzee and Azurill standing alone.

"If you keep being difficult, it'll mean big trouble for you!" Drowzee snarled, much to Gina's surprise.

What came next surprised her even more. Azurill cowered in fear, and gave the same scream she heard in her last dizzy spell. "Please, someone help me!"

When she was brought back to reality, she saw Riolu standing in front of her, his hands on her shoulders. "Gina? Are you okay? You look awfully grim..."

"I'm fine. I just want to tell you something..."

Riolu shrugged. "Okay. Fire away."

"You see, I had a dizzy spell..." She began to tell Riolu everything that she saw in the vision, from the mountain region to Azurill's scream. "And that's why we need to rescue Azurill right away!"

"But-"

"It's an emergency!" Gina pressed.

"Well, what you describe does sound like an emergency..." Riolu admitted. "It's not that I don't trust you, Gina..."

"Then what?!" Gina demanded. "What is it?!"

"It's just...well, I can't believe it!" Riolu exclaimed. "Drowzee seemed like a nice Pokemon, didn't he? We saw the three of them go off together, didn't they look like they were having a good time?"

"Riolu, just because someone looks like they're nice doesn't always mean they are!" Gina retorted. "I seriously think we should go after them!"

Riolu laughed. "Maybe you're just tired. That's probably why you had that bad daydream."

Gina gave up, sighing. "Maybe you're right... We should convince Chatot to let me sleep in!"

"Yeah," Riolu agreed with a smile. "Anyways, we're only apprentices. We can't just go doing whatever we want. For now, let's just concentrate on our guild work and get back to Bidoof."

Gina nodded, heading back up to the guild.

~o~o~o~o~

Gina collapsed on the floor when they got inside the guild, panting. "Why in Arceus' name...are there so many stairs here?"

Riolu shrugged, patting her on the shoulder. "We'll be doing that every day remember?"

Gina groaned, looking up to see Bidoof.

"Are you all ready to go?" he asked.

Gina nodded, still very exhausted.

"Good! Follow me." Bidoof led them over to the board. "Well, you can pick from this sorry-looking bunch!"

"There are so many..." Riolu mused. "Who should we pick?"

Bidoof cleared his throat. "How about I do the choosing? I am your mentor, after all!"

"As long as you don't pick anyone too scary!" Riolu urged.

"I hear you!" Bidoof turned to the board. "Now let's see... Eenie, Meenie-"

He was interrupted by a loud siren, and the sound of a Pokemon shouting. "Stand clear! Updating listings! Stand clear! Updating listings!"

The ground began to shake, and Riolu started to panic. "What's happening?"

"The data's just getting updated," Bidoof told him calmly.

"It's being...updated?"

Suddenly, the entire bulletin board flipped over, showing the bare back of it.

"What just happened?" Gina stared at the board curiously.

"The Outlaw Notice Board and the Job Bulletin Board are set up on relvolving panels," Bidoof explained. "When they get flipped over, Dugtrio swaps out the old jobs with new ones."

"Dugtrio?" Gina asked. "He's Diglett's father, isn't he?"

"Yup yup! Updating the data is Dugtrio's duty. He tunnels his way to the guild, then he flips the panel and updates the data. It doesn't get noticed much, but it's very important!"

The siren sounded again. "Update completed! Stand clear! Update completed! Stand clear!"

The panel flipped again, showing new pictures of outlaws for them to choose from.

"Now that the list has been updated, we can pick one!" Bidoof said.

Riolu didn't answer. When she looked over at him, she saw that his fists were balled up, shaking rapidly. His red eyes now looked like flames.

Bidoof noticed this as well. "What's up? Why are you shivering all of a sudden?" He looked around, raising his eyebrow. "It's not even cold in here."

"Look at this, Gina," he growled out. Gina looked at the board, trying to see what Riolu wanted her to look at. "At the top! On the left!"

Gina followed his instructions, and her eyes widened in horror. Right there on the page, in washed out colours, was the picture of the Pokemon she hoped she wouldn't see. Drowzee.

* * *

**FUN FACT: Kecleon's name in Japanese is Kakureon. Got the idea from another fanfic on here :D**

**Remember, reviews make people happy. Not just the author, but also yourself, knowing that you're helping someone become a better writer :D**


	5. Chapter 5

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Riolu tore the sheet down from the bulletin board, his hands shaking as he struggled not to rip it in half. "Drowzee... I can't believe this! He's a wanted outlaw!"

He folded the paper, shoving it into the Treasure Bag roughly. "Come on Gina! We have to go after him! Azurill's going to be in danger!"

Gina sprinted after her partner, leaving Bidoof stuttering in utter confusion. "Where are you all off to in such a hurry?!" he called after them.

Riolu and Gina practically flew down the stairs, skidding to a halt at the bottom when they saw Marill.

"Hey! Marill!" Riolu yelled. "Where did Azurill and Drowzee go?"

Marill whirled around, staring at them with huge, worried eyes. "About them... After we left, we went to look for our missing item together, but Mr. Drowzee insisted that I forgot something back in Treasure Town. When I came back, I saw that they were already leaving. I called for them but they didn't seem to hear me. I'm feeling really worried about them..."

"Which way did they go?!" Riolu demanded, not making any attempt in toning down with the urgency in his voice.

Marill pointed to the west. "They went this way!"

Marill, Riolu and Gina sprinted off, nearly crashing into Amber and Jasper.

"Hey!" Amber snapped. "What was that for?!"

Gina didn't bother to turn around, instead completely blocking her out and sprinting even harder. Amber fumed at this, gritting her teeth. Jasper had to hold her back to prevent her from going after them.

"M-maybe they'll apologize when they get back...?" Jasper suggested.

"Oh, shut up!"

~o~o~o~o~

Gina stared up at the mountain. It was quite large, needless to say. The rocks pointed upward, ending at a sharp tip which made them look almost like fangs. Tiny patches of grass dotted the area.

"So you think Drowzee and Azurill went in this direction?" Gina asked.

Marill nodded. "Please bring Azurill back for me..."

Riolu looked at Gina. "So the Drowzee and Azurill you saw in your dream... you said you saw them in a mountainous region, right?"

Gina nodded. "I told you I wasn't lying!"

"We have time for your bragging later. We need to get moving. Who knows what's going on up there..."

Gina fixed her gaze on Marill. "Stay down here. It's safer."

Marill gulped and dipped his head, still looking extremely worried.

"I promise we'll bring your brother back," Riolu said. "You can trust us, right?"

"I...I guess..."

"Good," he walked around Marill, motioning for Gina to follow. Gina obeyed, and smiled at Marill. "We'll be back down before you know it!"

She followed Riolu into the dungeon, seeing other Pokemon waiting for them.

Riolu frowned. "It's almost as though they knew we were coming."

Gina laughed. "They can't be any harder than the Pokemon we've already faced though!"

Gina took the lead, coming face to face with a Starly. "See? This can't be that bad. Watch."

She tackled the Starly, dazing it for a while. It glared at her and used Quick Attack, nearly knocking the wind out of her and sending her sprawling in front of Riolu.

"Well, alright then, I was wrong." She used Tackle again, this time knocking it out.

"Are you okay?" Riolu asked. "Are you hurt badly?"

Gina shook her head. "Just surprised. I didn't know they'd be this strong!"

"Then we'd best keep our guard up," Riolu instructed. "And keep a look out for any clues as to where Azurill went."

"Agreed."

As they continued, Gina looked around, tilting her head in confusion. "If we're on a mountain, does that mean that instead of going underground, we'll have to find a way to climb up?"

"Exactly," Riolu looked to the side, spotting a slope going upwards. "There! That'll get us to the second floor."

Gina ran up the slope, panting. "This is even worse than the guild!" she complained.

"See? Now at least the guild won't seem so bad anymore," Riolu said.

"How many floors does this mountain have anyway?" Gina asked, looking up. She felt her heart drop when she saw how much bigger the mountain looked now that she was actually inside it. "Oh come on!"

"The guild is like a hill in comparison to this," Riolu remarked.

"It'll take forever to get up there!" Gina lamented.

"Not if we hurry," Riolu grabbed Gina's paw, gently tugging her along. "Come on!"

"I can walk, you know!"

~o~o~o~o~

Gina sniffed around, looking for anything that could point out Azurill's location. "Aha!" she exclaimed. "I found something!"

Riolu ran over. "What? What did you find?"

"This!" Gina held up an Apple. "It's the same one that Azurill and Marill bought at Kecleon Market!"

"That could be any Apple, Gina," Riolu remarked. "And how do you know that it's the same one that they bought?"

"It has a bruise on it when Azurill dropped it," Gina held it closer to Riolu. "See?"

Sure enough, a large mark had formed on the surface of the Apple.

"So you think they went this way?" Riolu asked, staring at the path ahead of them. His ears pricked, and he narrowed his eyes. "I can hear someone up there talking. Come on, let's get a closer look."

Riolu and Gina crept behind a pile of rocks, peeking out from behind them, eyes squinting trying to see who it was. Gina inwardly gasped. _Azurill and Drowzee!_

She saw the two of them stop suddenly. "It's a dead end," she heard Azurill say. "Mr. Drowzee, where is my lost item? Can you show me where it is?"

Drowzee chuckled and grinned, but not in the friendliest way possible. "Sorry kid. Your lost item sure isn't here."

"Wh-what?" Azurill peered past him nervously, his eyes darting back and forth. "My big brother...he's coming, right? He'll be here soon?"

"Nope, sorry. Your big brother won't be joining us today."

"Why that little-" Gina began to say, before Riolu slapped his hand over her mouth.

"How about I let you in on a little secret," Drowzee said. "This was a trick. I decieved you."

Azurill's eyes began to water. "Huh?!"

"Let's not dwell on that, though. I have a favor I need to ask of you. See that hole right over there?"

Azurill turned around to see a fair-sized hole gaping in the wall behind them.

"There's a rumor that there's a trove of treasure in there," Drowzee explained. "Of course, I'm too big to squirm my way in that hole. That's where you come in!"

Azurill's eyes widened. Gina snarled under her breath. "I can't believe this guy..."

"Don't worry," Drowzee murmured. "Just do as I say, and I'll get you out of here."

Azurill began to tremble in fear. "B-but...but I don't want to..."

"Go on, get going!" Drowzee snapped, looming over the small Pokemon. "Get into that hole. And don't forget to bring back the treasure!"

Azurill began to sob, tears streaming down his face. He ran past Drowzee, and started to wail. "I want my big brother!"

Drowzee darted in front of him, letting out an annoyed sigh. "Sheesh, I said I'd take you back when you're done!"

What Drowzee said next surprised Gina most of all, as they were the exact same words he said in her vision. "If you keep being difficult, it'll mean big trouble for you!"

Azurill's tears kept coming, and he screamed. "Please, someone help me!"

Gina couldn't take it anymore, and she lept out from behind the rocks, despite Riolu's protests. "Stop right there, Drowzee!"

Drowzee whirled around to see the two of them approach him, and his eyes widened.

"We won't let you do that!" Gina hissed.

"How did you find this place?" Drowzee asked.

"One, we're Team Diamond," Gina stepped forward threateningly. "We're an exploration team. Also, Azurill dropped this!" She placed the Apple she collected earlier in front of him.

Drowzee for once looked actually quite nervous. "An exploration team?! So you came to-"

He broke off when he saw Riolu shaking. He grinned slyly. "I get it! You say you're an exploration team, but you're just a bunch of rookies!"

Gina stepped back again, her ears drooping.

"Yeah, that's right," Drowzee continued. "I am a wanted criminal. But can you to really do the job? Can you bring this outlaw to justice, when every other exploration team has failed?!"

Riolu gulped, and stopping shaking. He stepped in front of Gina protectively, and glared at Drowzee, his red eyes flaming. "Yes. We can! Yes we can! We won't lose to someone like you!"

Drowzee laughed. "I've been chased by all sorts of exploration teams, but I've never seen a sorrier-looking bunch like you two!"

Riolu continued to stare him down, trying not to lose his cool.

"This should be fun," Drowzee remarked. "Let's see what you've got!"

Gina charged forward right away, shoving Riolu out of the way and ramming into Drowzee with Tackle. He grunted, then swung his hand across her face. She shrieked, stumbling backwards. Drowzee was about to go for her again, when Riolu sprung out in front of her, using Bite on his hand.

Drowzee's eyes glowed bright blue, and Riolu levitated in the air.

"Riolu!" Gina cried. She stared at him in horror as he began to cry out, his body twisting in pain. Drowzee brought his hand down swiftly, and Riolu crashed into the ground, dirt and rock spraying where he landed.

"Are you okay, Riolu?" Gina asked.

Riolu struggled to get up, nodded, and glared at Drowzee. "I won't...I won't let you defeat us!"

He threw a Blast Seed at Gina, and she stared at it, trying to think why he'd want her to use it.

"Those are brave words," Drowzee sneered. "But I think it's time for you to get to sleep." His eyes glowed again, sending out a brightly coloured ray, which Gina recognized as the move Hypnosis, towards Riolu. Riolu's eyes widened in surprise for a moment, and they soon shut again. Riolu stumbled, and fell to the ground.

Gina stared at Riolu in horror, as he fell into a deep slumber. Looking back at the Blast Seed in her paw, she knew what to do. She shoved it into her mouth, trying to ignore the awful taste. Nothing happened at first, until her tongue began to tingle, and her mouth felt as though it was on fire.

"Hot!" she screamed. "Hot! Hot! Hot! Hot!"

Fire blazed out of her mouth, which was aimed conveniently at Drowzee. Sweat began to pour from her forehead, and her entire mouth hurt. When the flames finally died down, Drowzee was staring at them through narrowed eyes, who appeared to be very worn out.

"You...where did you get that?" Drowzee rasped.

"We...we bought it..." Gina wheezed. "Now...now it's time for me to finish you off!"

She sprang from where she was standing, ramming into him with Tackle, and sending him sprawling. Gina landed gracefully on all four paws, wincing with the amount of energy that was taken out of her.

He collapsed to the ground, finally defeated. Gina sighed with relief, and saw Riolu's eyes begin to open.

"Is...is Drowzee defeated?" he asked. He got up weakly, his legs shaking.

"Yep!" Gina grinned. "The Blast Seed really worked!"

"Good," he looked around the fallen Drowzee, seeing Azurill still cowering with fear. Riolu and Gina walked as calmly as they could over to the young Pokemon, whose face lightened up when he saw them.

"Are you okay?" Gina looked him over. "Are you hurt?"

"Nope," Azurill replied. "I'm fine."

"Good," Riolu said. "Your brother's waiting at the bottom of the mountain."

"Hold on," Gina stopped them from turning around. "We have to go back down?"

"Well, how else did you think we were going to get down?" Riolu folded his arms. "Now go get Drowzee."

Gina nodded, nudging the outlaw to his feet. He looked as though he were going to attack again, but when Gina bared her teeth at him, he decided to just move along quietly.

"Ready to go?" Riolu asked. Azurill and Gina nodded, Drowzee simply looking away. Riolu grinned. "Good. Then let's go."

~o~o~o~o~

A group of three Pokemon awaited them at the bottom of the mountain. Gina groaned, still tired from climbing the mountain, fighting Drowzee, and then coming back down. Drowzee stared at the group, and he sighed, walking over to them with his back hunched over.

The first Pokemon, a larger one than the other two, floated over to them. His way of speaking was odd, and was started and finished with buzzing noises. "I am Magnezone, the primary officer in this region! The two Pokemon you see here with me are my assistant Magnemite!"

Riolu bowed slightly. "It's nice to meet you. I'm Riolu, and this is my partner, Gina."

"Wigglytuff told us we would find you here," Magnezone continued. "Thanks to you, we have finally caught Drowzee, who has been on the run for quite some time! Your reward will be waiting at the guild." The two Magnemite that were with the officer brought Drowzee over to them, flanking his two sides, with Magnezone leading at the front. Magnezone turned to him. "Now, come with us!"

Drowzee sighed, and hung his head low, as they went off together.

"Well, it's good that that's finally over," Gina remarked. "Now Drowzee won't bother anyone again." She turned to Riolu, her eyes glinting mischeviously. "Oh, and by the way, I told you so! I told you so! I told you that Drowzee was bad!"

"Oh hush up," Riolu said, narrowing his eyes. "We'll have time for that later. In the meantime, I think Marill wants to see his brother again."

Marill, who had been waiting for them, beamed. Azurill ran out from behind Gina and Riolu, leaping into his brother's arms.

"Marill!" Azurill sobbed. "It was so scary!"

"It's okay now, Azurill," Marill soothed, looking as though he would burst into tears at any moment. "You're safe now."

"I think he just needs some time to calm down," Riolu suggested. "He's had a long day."

"That sounds good," Marill looked at Gina curiously. "By the way, what did you mean when you said that you knew Drowzee was bad?"

Gina blushed. "I only suspected it at first. I didn't know he'd actually be bad. I'm sorry if you think I knew the entire time."

Marill thought this over for a bit, then smiled. "As long as my brother's okay, I'll be fine."

"Thank you, Gina and Riolu!" Azurill said, staring up at them.

Marill nodded. "I don't think we'll ever be able to forget what you've done for us. Really...really, thank you!"

~o~o~o~o~

Gina and Riolu soon arrived at the guild once again, spotting Chatot waiting for them in front of the Outlaw Notice Board.

"Ah, good," Chatot said. "You've finally arrived. Officer Magnezone has given me a full report on your progress today!"

"He has?" Riolu's eyes brightened.

"Indeed," Chatot held out an envelope. "He sent the reward as promised."

Riolu took the envelope, and out came 3,000 Poké. His eyes widened. "I can't believe this is all for us!"

"Of course it's not," Chatot laughed, taking the Poké and dividing it up, giving them back the remainder 300. "Remember the guild's rule?"

"Yes sir," they mumbled in unison.

"Don't look so down," Chatot chirped. "That's the guild's rule. You simply have to learn to accept it." With that, he went down to the second floor.

"Well, that sure is a letdown," Gina sighed.

"Yeah," Riolu's expression brightened. "But we still got the job done, right? That's got to count for something!"

Just then, Amber and Jasper came down the ladder. Amber smirked. "Let me guess, you failed your first job in taking in an outlaw? What a shame. The first time Jasper and I did that, we got the job done no problem."

"Actually," Riolu said defensively. "We succeeded. We were also able to protect Azurill in the process."

Amber's eyes went wide for a moment, then they glared at them again. "The outlaw was probably weak. That's why it was so easy for you."

"Wrong again," Gina giggled. "He was pretty tough. I almost thought we wouldn't make it."

Amber rolled her eyes. "Whatever. Just don't think that you'll be able to be the best explorers in this guild. That title already belongs to Jasper and I." She pressed her face closer to Gina's. "And don't think I'm ready to give it up that easily. You still haven't gone on a real exploration."

"Well, have you?" Riolu asked, gently pushing Gina out of the way. "I don't see the guild praising you like you're royalty because you did anything special."

"Of course we have!" Amber snapped. "Come on, Jasper. Let's get going."

She whipped around towards the ladder, descending it quickly. Jasper walked up to them shyly.

"I'm really sorry for her behaviour," the Shinx muttered. "She just needs to learn better, that's all."

"Jasper!"

He flinched at the sound of his name. "Sorry, Amber!" He bowed his head, walking backwards towards the ladder. He shrieked as he fell down to the second floor, a loud thump sounding. Gina and Riolu froze in fear, hoping he'd be okay. They relaxed when they heard his voice again.

"Sorry, Bidoof! I hope I didn't hurt you!"

"I just realized, we wouldn't have accomplished this mission if you didn't have that dream, Gina," Riolu continued.

"That's true," Gina mused. "That shout I heard, and that dream I had, they both took place in the future!" She shook her head. "But why was I able to see something like that?"

"Maybe it has something to do with when you were a human?" Riolu suggested. "I don't know any other Eevee that dreams about the future. Or any Eevee for that matter!"

"Well, maybe you just need to get out more!" Gina laughed, punching him playfully on the arm. Riolu winced at that, backing away and holding his arm, his eyes almost appearing distrustful. "What's wrong?" Gina asked. She hadn't even hit him that hard. "Did I hit you on a sore spot from the fight?"

Riolu relaxed, but only slightly. "Uh... No. Forget about it. It was nothing." Gina heard his stomach growl, and he walked past her without looking at her. "Come on. Let's go get dinner."

~o~o~o~o~

Thunder crashed outside, lightning illuminating the night sky. Riolu stared out the window, flinching when a bolt of lightning struck.

"That lightning's intense!" he remarked. "Looks like it's going to be a big storm tonight." Gina heard a small gasp come from him, and he whirled around. "Gina, I just remembered! There was a storm the night before we met. Can you remember anything yet?"

Gina sighed. "I know there was a storm, but...that's really all I can remember. I can't recall anything before then, or how I even ended up here!"

He sighed. "That's okay," Riolu reassured her. "Just try to remember a little bit at a time."

Riolu settled down in his bed, curling up into a comfortable position. "Let's try to get some sleep. This storm can't go on forever, right?"

The storm continued, even after the pair had tried to ignore the roaring of the wind, and the rolling thunder.

"Hey, you still awake?" Gina asked.

"Yeah," Riolu turned over so that he was facing Gina. "What's up?"

"I've been wondering whether I actually had a family or not," Gina said. "After seeing Marill and Azurill today, it made me think about how close they are, with each other and their mother and everything. It made me wonder if I was like that with my family, or if I even had one."

"Well I guess that's one more thing we have to find out, huh?" Riolu said chuckling.

"I guess so," she said. "What about you? Do you have a family?"

Gina thought she spotted a glimmer of fear in his eyes, but it was gone in less than a second, and Riolu shook his head. "No. I don't have a family," he replied, but it didn't sound very sincere. He shook his head, changing the subject. "I've been thinking about that dream you had, Gina. Maybe I was right. Maybe it does have to do with you personally."

"You really think so?" Gina fixed her dark brown eyes on him.

"That's just the feeling I get. Maybe this dream you had, and the fact that you suddenly turned into a human... Maybe they're connected somehow."

"That would make sense. After all you did say that you didn't know any other Pokemon who dreams about the future."

Riolu's eyes softened. "I don't know what you were like as a human, but I think you were a kind person. After all, it was this dream that lead us to saving Azurill."

Gina smiled, then took on a more serious gaze. "Riolu, can you tell me more about the time stopping thingy?"

"What makes you ask that?"

"I never got to learn more about it before. Besides, you changed the subject when I asked if you had a family, so that means that I can change the subject."

Riolu sighed and sat up. "You see, time is getting messed up, bit by bit, all over the world. No one seems to know why. But many suspect that Time Gears are somehow involved."

"What are Time Gears?" Gina asked.

"Time Gears are small artifacts that kind of look like circles with several square-shaped teeth," Riolu explained. "Or so I've heard. It's said that Time Gears are hidden in secret places all over the world. Like in a forest, or a lake in an underground cavern. I've even heard about a Time Gear hidden deep inside a volcano. At the center of these places...is what's known as a Time Gear.

"These objects serve a very important function, which is to keep time flowing properly in its region."

"What if a region loses its Time Gear?" Gina inquired. "What happens then?"

"To be honest, I'm not sure," Riolu admitted. "My guess is if a Time Gear is removed from its region, then the flow of time there will probably stop. This is why everyone makes sure never to disturb the Time Gears, in fear of some kind of disaster striking. Even the most evil criminal Pokemon makes sure to stay away from them."

Gina thought this over, and yawned. "You sure are a good story-teller."

Riolu glanced down at his hands shyly. "I've never been told that. Thanks. Goodnight, Gina."

"Goodnight, Riolu."

~o~o~o~o~

Meanwhile, a Pokemon slipped through a forest, nothing but a dark figure slinking through the storm. He ran at a quick but steady pace, not even the thunder and lightning making him flinch.

He soon slowed down when he came upon a miraculous sight, a pale blue-green glow. In the center of it floated a small object, the light radiating from the center of it.

"Ah, yes," he murmured. "I believe this is exactly what I have been looking for."

The figure strode forward, the object now within an arm's reach.

"I have found one at last!" he declared. "A Time Gear! But...with so little time...this is only the first of many..."

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**Again, it would be very nice if you left a review. They can be very helpful most of the time XD**

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	6. Chapter 6

**WARNING: This chapter may contain a scene which some readers may be uncomfortable with. Don't say I didn't warn you.**

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Gina let out a surprised grunt when something heavy landed on top of her. Forcing her eyes open, she saw that her vision was filled with nothing but thin blue fur. She sighed. Riolu had rolled out of bed and on top of her.

"Ugh... Seriously, Riolu..." she muttered. "Get off of me."

She got no response, except for the sound of her partner's heavy breathing. He was sound asleep.

"I mean it, buddy, get off. You're suffocating me."

No response.

Gina growled, roughly placing her paws on his arm, ready to shove him off. "Fine then. If you won't get out yourself, then I'll just have to-" She cut herself off as her vision began to blur, her head spinning. She groaned, holding her head in one paw. _Not now..._

Her sight went to black, clearing up not too long after.

~o~o~o~o~

_There were three Pokemon, two of them adults and one a child. A Lucario was holding the child, its ruby eyes bright. The other adult was a Mightyena, a retired explorer, walking out of a doorway and to the other Pokemon. The child, a Riolu, looked up at the Mightyena, eyes wide and shining with curiosity._

_"Mightyena," Lucario said, its voice feminine-sounding. "Come meet your new son."_

_Mightyena came closer, inspecting the small child. The baby made tiny, incomprehensible noises, almost as though it was saying hello to its father. "Hey there, little fella," he murmured._

_"I hope he grows up well," Lucario mused. "Then again, with you as his father, that's almost guaranteed, isn't it?"_

_"And with a mother like you, he'll probably have the skills needed to be a fantastic explorer," Mightyena added with a smile. "If he wants to be an explorer, that is."_

_The scene switched. Riolu, now appearing to be a little bit older, walked into a house, a medium sized rock in his hands. A strange pattern was etched on the surface. Riolu knew it wasn't like any regular rock, so he decided to call it his Relic Fragment._

_"Daddy?" Riolu called. "Daddy are you in here?" He got no response, and sighed, heading into a small room and sat down on an even smaller bed. He stretched his legs out in front of him. "Mommy's out doing her explorer stuff, and I don't know where Daddy is," he muttered to himself. He shrugged. "Mommy won't be back until late, but Daddy should be home soon."_

_A door slammed, and Riolu sprang to his feet as his father, Mightyena, walked past Riolu's room and into his own._

_Riolu snatched the Relic Fragment off his bed and scampered into Mightyena's room. "Daddy! Daddy, lookit what I found today!" He wasn't looking where he was going, and he tripped over a large stack of books. The books scattered into a disordered pile, some of the pages even falling out. Riolu stumbled around, tearing up pages in the process._

_Mightyena stared at the mess, his red eyes slowly becoming angry. A scowl spread across his muzzle. "Do you have any idea what you just did?"_

_Riolu slowly got up, his legs trembling. "Uh... No. B-but look what I-"_

_Mightyena came closer, his claws scraping against the floor. "I was trying to keep those in order and not torn up," he growled, giving his attention to the ripped pages on the floor. "Thanks to you, they are both out of order and completely destroyed! And you barge in here like that just because-"_

_"I wasn't barging in!" Riolu protested. "I just wanted to show you something I found when I was outside today!"_

_He soon found this to be a mistake, when his father bared his fangs and lowered himself to the ground. "You know you aren't supposed to go outside," he growled. He lunged forward. "And don't interrupt me when I'm speaking to you!"_

_Riolu screamed and whirled around, sprinting into his room._

_Mightyena landed with a thud. "Get back here, you little brat!" he screeched. Riolu quickly hid the Relic Fragment under his bed, turning around in time to face his father. Mightyena swatted him across the room and against a wall._

_Riolu let out a wince, which then turned into a gasp of pain as Mightyena slashed his claws against Riolu's chest. Tears began to form in his eyes as the wound began to burn._

_"Quit crying," Mightyena snarled. "You want to be an explorer, don't you? Real explorers don't cry!" Mightyena sank his fangs into Riolu's left arm, throwing him against another wall. Riolu began to wail, the tears flooding down his cheeks. Mightyena loomed over him, and Riolu screamed when Mightyena dove down onto his throat._

_The scene changed again, showing Riolu crying heavily, taking in deep gulps of air. Bruises, bleeding scrapes and bite marks laced across his body. Lucario looked at Mightyena. "What happened?" she demanded, eyes wide._

_"I'm not sure," Mightyena said. Riolu sensed fake sincerity in his tone. "I went out for just a moment, and when I came back, he was like this. I checked around for any sign of another Pokemon who may have snuck in, and I found them. Luckily, I was able to chase it away before it did anymore harm to our son."_

_Lucario let out a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness. But please, stay in the house with him from now on, Mightyena. I don't want anything else to happen while I'm out."_

_Mightyena nodded, pressing the tip of his muzzle to the top of Riolu's head, who tried his_ _best not to shrink away from his father's touch. As the Dark-type withdrew his snout, he whispered quietly enough that Lucario didn't hear. "Tell your mother about what happened, or about what likely will happen, I will make sure that you get a very severe punishment."_

_His father's words sent a shiver up Riolu's spine. If that entire event wasn't harsh enough, he didn't want to see what Mightyena had in store for him. Lucario cleaned her son's injuries and wrapped them in bandages, wishing him goodnight and leaving his room, with Mightyena not too far behind her._

_The following scenes changed rapidly. It was obvious that the abuse hadn't ended, the violent images showing Mightyena's furious face screaming insults and Riolu's echoing cries for help proving so._

_The last scene showed Riolu sprinting out of the small house, rain streaking through the landscape and his tears streaming down his face. He would never go back. If he did, his father would hurt him more, or he might even kill him. Riolu looked down at the necklace that bobbed up and down as he ran. The Relic Fragment was tied to it, the rain making it slippery and hard to hold on to._

_Riolu ran harder, even as the cries of his mother and the calls of his father attempted to pull him back to his home._

I won't go back, _he thought._ I'll find my own home, and I'll be a great explorer, even better than my dad.

~o~o~o~o~

Gina's vision returned, and she found herself staring up at the ceiling in shock. Lifting her paws from Riolu's arm, she saw an almost unnoticeable scar. Getting a better look at him, she found several other near-invisible scars lacing across one another, almost covering him from head to toe.

_So that's why he flinched away from me that one time, and why he's so reluctant to talk about his parents,_ she thought. "Hey, Riolu," she whispered, prodding him gently. "Wake up."

Riolu shook himself awake, blinking erratically. "Wha... Oh, it's just you, Gina. What is it? It's not even dawn yet."

"Well for starters, you're lying on top of me," Gina said, trying to stifle a giggle.

Riolu looked down and blushed, scrambling off her. "S-sorry, I didn't mean..."

"It's okay. You probably had a weird dream or something."

Riolu nodded nervously, his face still shaded light pink. "Is there anything else you wanted to tell me?"

Gina opened her mouth, about to tell him that she had another dizzy spell, but she decided against it. _It wouldn't be right to bring it up, not now._ She shook her head. "Just...know I'm always here, in case you need someone to talk to."

Riolu looked taken aback. "Um... Okay. Thanks." He laid back down, curling up. "Goodnight, Gina."

"'Night, Riolu." The Eevee shut her eyes, trying to clear her mind of the horrific scenes she had viewed during her dizzy spell.

~o~o~o~o~

Riolu and Gina stood in front of the Job Bulletin Board, mulling over which job to take. "I think we should do this one," Gina pointed at one of the papers pinned to the board. "It'll be a good challenge for us."

"That's an S rank job," Riolu remarked. "There's no way we could do one of those. What about this one?"

"That's even worse! It's the easiest one on here!"

Riolu folded his arms across his chest, his eyes narrowed. "How are we going to do this if we can't even agree on a mission?"

"Well, maybe we can compromise," Gina said, turning her gaze back to the board. "I want to do a difficult mission, and you want to do an easy one. Here, what about this one? It's a D rank."

Riolu sighed. "Fair enough. What's the job description?"

"The client is a Dunsparce who needs us to come and help him find the way out. It's in a place called Oran Forest, and the reward is 150 Poké." Gina waited for her partner to reply, but he said nothing, an abstracted look in his eyes. "Hello? You still with me?"

"Huh?" Riolu snapped out of the daze. "Yeah, sure, let's get on with it."

Gina took the paper down, handing it to Riolu and heading down to the crossroads. Riolu glanced at her. "Gina, can you run down to the Kecleon Market and buy a couple of Apples for us?" He handed her the money to pay for them. "I'll just be waiting here."

She nodded and sprinted off into the town, not wanting to keep Riolu waiting for too long. "Hey, look out!" a voice shrieked, and Gina slammed into someone, their items tumbling onto the ground. Gina rubbed her head, and she opened her eyes to see Jasper sprawled out in front of her.

"Sorry about that Jasper," she quickly apologized, helping him gather up his things. "I'm kind of in a hurry."

The Shinx nodded. "That's alright, I suppose."

Gina inspected his items, tilting her head. "You have a lot of stuff. Where are you going?"

"Nowhere important. Amber wanted to be prepared for anything we might face, so she told me to go out and buy all this."

"Are there any Apples left?"

"Yeah. In fact, those were the only things Amber told me not to buy."

Gina helped him load the items onto his back again, and she brushed her tail across his chin lightly as she passed, feeling the tiniest amount of electricity shock the tip. "Thanks, Jasper!"

Gina sauntered up to the Kecleon Shop, placing the Poké on the counter. "Two Apples, please."

Kecleon placed the Apples in front of her. "Going somewhere special?"

Gina beamed. "Yep! Riolu and I got to choose our job today!"

Kakureon glanced at her, smiling. "Sounds like you'll have a good day today!" He paused, then spoke again. "By the way, Azurill told us that you and Riolu rescued him yesterday."

"That's right! It was difficult, but we pulled through!"

Kecleon let out a laugh. "Good to hear! Have a good day now!"

Gina took the two Apples and headed off. "Thanks! You, too!" she called over her shoulder. She balanced the Apples on her head, skipping over to where Riolu waited impatiently.

"What took you so long?" he demanded. "We need to complete this job before sundown, you know."

Gina gave him the Apples, taking the Wonder Map and unrolling it. "Oran Forest isn't too far from here. It's not like we're going to...this place," she put her paw on a small grove of trees in the far northwest area of the map.

Riolu raised his hand, not wanting to hear any more. "Let's just get going already, or we'll be even more late than we want to be."

~o~o~o~o~

They had arrived at the deepest part of the dense, berry-filled forest, but there was no sign of a Dunsparce.

"Hello?!" Gina called. "Dunsparce?! Are you here? We've come to help you!"

Riolu looked around in concern. "I think we should go back."

The Eevee whipped her head around in astonishment, her brown eyes wide. "Go back? Go back?! Without saving Dunsparce? Nuh-uh! I don't think so!"

He slapped a hand over her mouth. "Not so loud!"

Gina backed up, frowning. "I will be as loud as I want!"

"Gina, please. Just-"

"No! We came here to save Dunsparce, and we aren't leaving until we find them!" She paused, her face growing more concerned. "Seriously, what's wrong with you? You've been acting all jittery ever since we accepted this mission. If you really didn't want to do it, then why did you even agree to accept the job in the first place?"

Riolu sighed, his eyes giving away an expression of defeat. "This was my old home."

Gina raised her eyebrows. "Oh I see. You lived here with your parents, didn't you?"

"Yeah..." He was calm for only a minute, when he suddenly tensed up. "Wait how did you know about my parents? I told you last night that I didn't have any."

"Well you see, I touched you last night and-" she broke off when she saw Riolu cover himself up with his arms, an offended look on his face. "Not like that!" she snapped. "I meant that last night I had another vision."

His ears perked up in interest. "You did?"

She nodded. "Riolu...I saw what happened. Your father acting like that towards you... I'm sorry. I didn't know that that had happened to you until last night. Why didn't you tell me?"

Riolu ran his hands up and down his arms. "I don't know..." he admitted. "It's not something I really want to remember."

Gina went closer to him. "I could've helped you."

Riolu wrapped his arms around his partner, holding her against him. "I know. I'm so sorry. I should've told you."

Gina looked up at him with a smile. "Let's promise not to keep secrets from each other again. Okay?"

The corner of Riolu's mouth twitched into a lopsided grin. "Then I guess I have something else I should tell you."

"What's that?"

"My name isn't actually Riolu."

Gina's eyes widened. "It isn't? Then...what is it?"

"My name is Soren," he explained. "There were two reasons I said my name was Riolu when we first met. One, I wanted my name to sound more normal; I thought that I would tell you at some point what my actual name was when you reacted strangely to it."

"What's the second reason?" she asked.

"I didn't want my parents to find out where I went. If they asked someone if they had seen a Riolu named Soren around here, they'd instantly know where I was."

"That makes sense," Gina said when he had finished. "So...no more secrets?"

Soren grinned wider. "No more secrets."

The Eevee looked around. "You're right though. Dunsparce doesn't seem to be around here," she pointed out, changing the subject. "Maybe we passed him or something?"

"Maybe. We can always do this mission again tomorrow."

"If he hasn't escaped by then," Gina said with a slight chuckle. "Come on, Rio- I mean, Soren, it's getting late. Let's go back to the guild." As they turned around and started to head back, a rustling was heard just behind them. Gina's ears shot up in alarm. "What was that?"

Her partner turned around to look. "I think maybe it was-" Soren's words were cut off when he let out a scream. Gina spun around and saw a Pokemon shooting out from behind the bushes and trees.

"My son! I'm so happy to see you again!"

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	7. Chapter 7

**Please enjoy!**

* * *

The stranger wrapped its arms around Soren. "I never thought I would see you again! I was so worried for you!"

Gina took a closer look at the Pokemon, and she realized it was the same Lucario she had seen in her vision the night before. "Are you...you're Soren's mother, aren't you?"

"Indeed I am," Lucario responded. She pulled back for a moment to get a better look at her son. "Look at you. You've grown so much since I saw you last! But you certainly look thinner... Have you been eating properly?"

"Yes, mom, I'm fine," Soren responded calmly. "What are you doing here anyway?"

"I came to look for you, of course!" Lucario exclaimed. "I was worried that you were in danger ever since you left, and I never stopped looking, I'll have you know!"

"Well, I'm fine now," he assured her. "I've joined Wigglytuff's Guild. You know, the place that you went to when you were just an apprentice?"

Lucario let out a nostalgic sigh and leaned back. "Yes, I know. Those were the good days..." she reminisced.

"I met a new friend, too," Soren added. He gestured for Gina to come closer. "This is Gina. I met her on Treasure Beach."

"It's so nice to meet you!" Gina said.

Lucario smiled. "It's very nice to meet you as well, Gina. Thank you for keeping my son out of trouble," Turning to Soren, she added, "and I hope you've been treating your girlfriend right!"

"Wh-what?" Soren stuttered. His face glowed bright pink. "Are you crazy? She's not my-We're not-Umm..."

"I'm only kidding!" she laughed. "Don't take it so seriously!"

Soren took a few deep breaths before he spoke again. "Have you maybe seen a Dunsparce around here? We're on a mission, and we're supposed to be looking for him."

"I don't believe I have," Lucario said with a sly grin.

Soren rested his face in his hands. "You wrote that rescue request, didn't you?" he muttered, already knowing the answer.

Lucario nodded. "I wanted to see you again, so I wrote the request and sent it to be delivered to the guild."

"Wait, I don't understand," Gina interrupted. "You said you were looking all over for him, so how did you know he would be at the guild?"

"I sensed his aura," she explained. "Lucario and Riolu alike are able to see the auras of others, as well as track them. I tracked Soren's aura to the guild, so I waited out here so I could see him again."

Gina looked at her partner. "You can sense aura?"

Soren shrugged. "Barely. I can only sense it in ripples. Lucario are able to sense it in waves, like my mom did." However, he still appeared confused. "But don't you need something from whoever it is you're tracking to be able to see their aura successfully?"

Lucario nodded. She reached into the bag slung over her shoulder, pulling out a large piece of white fabric. "You've had this blanket since you were born," she said. "When you ran off, I became worried that I wouldn't be able to track you because I didn't have much to go by. When I found this, I could sense your aura on it, and I was able to track you all the way out here."

He still looked unsure. "So...why did you keep looking for me? I know you wanted to make sure that I was safe, but..."

"I wanted to bring you home," Lucario admitted.

The Riolu backed away, his ruby eyes glittering. "What if I don't want to come home?" he challenged. "What if I want to stay here with Gina and the rest of the guild?"

"I've been missing you so much, sweetie," she responded. "I've been wanting to see you again ever since you left."

Gina and Soren exchanged a glance. Gina urged him on with her eyes. _He has to tell her what happened,_ she thought. _He can't keep going on like this._

He sighed. Looking back at his mother, he said, "I don't want to see dad. I never want to see him."

"I know." When Lucario said that, no one dared to speak. Not even the Starly in the trees made a sound. All they could hear was the sound of branches rattling and the leaves rustling in the warm wind.

It was Soren who broke the silence. "What do you... How do you know?"

"The night you ran away from home Soren, I suspected that something was up," she explained. "Every time I left you with Mightyena, I would always come home to hear you sobbing in your room. I suspected that it might have had something to do with how you and him aren't as close as a normal father and son would be. So when you ran away...I asked him what happened."

"What did he say?" Gina chimed in.

"He claimed that he had no idea," she scoffed. "He played it innocent at first, so I decided not to think too much about it. And then one day...he finally confessed."

The Riolu's eyes widened. "He confessed?! He confessed to doing all that to me?"

Lucario nodded solemnly. "Needless to say, I wanted to start screaming and yelling at him to get out of the house, to beat the living daylights out of him for ever doing that to you. But that wouldn't have made me any better than he was, now would it?"

"I guess not. So...what did you do?"

"I turned him in to Officer Magnezone," she explained. "Ever since then, he's been getting therapy sessions and anger management sessions, in hopes that he'll learn to control himself more."

Soren spoke nervously. "And...he won't be back anytime soon?"

"It depends on how well he's cooperating," Lucario said. "If he decides to be difficult, he'll certainly stay there for quite a while. But if he decides to do what the therapists say and he improves, he might get let go, but they would still keep a close eye on him."

Soren bowed his head as his mother went on. "You know it isn't your fault, Soren. When someone is abused...it is never the victim's fault, no matter what anyone says. Even more, you aren't alone. There are bound to be several other Pokemon out there who know exactly what you're feeling. Maybe one day you'll meet one of them, but for now you must know that you are innocent. You are not to blame."

"I know," he said. "But...but I still don't want to go back!"

Lucario smiled and tilted her head. "Why's that?"

He scratched the back of his head. "Well...I dunno. I've met some really nice Pokemon, and it's fun to be on an exploration team. Also," he added, pulling Gina closer to his side. "Gina and I, we're working really hard. We don't want to let all our hard work go to waste. I've got her back, and she's got mine. We help each other out, you know?"

"Aww, you!" Gina said, hugging him. "Thanks!"

"Not now," Soren whispered in her ear.

As Gina separated herself from her partner, Lucario chuckled. "You two really do care about each other, don't you?" She appeared thoughtful for a moment, then returned her attention to the pair. "I was going to bring you back home. But now that I see this, I think it would be best to leave you two be. Besides, I don't think the Guildmaster would appreciate it if you never returned."

Soren's eyes widened, then he cried with delight. "Yes! Thank you, thank you, thank you!" He jumped up and wrapped his arms around his mother's neck.

"Just promise you'll come and visit me from time to time, all right?" Lucario asked. "I just want to know that you're safe."

"Of course!" the Riolu let go and turned to Gina. "Come on. The rest of the guild will be wondering where we are."

Lucario stopped them before they could leave. She reached into her bag once more and held out 400 Poké. "This is your reward for the mission. Even if it wasn't real, I still think you deserve it, for coming out here even though you probably knew I would be here."

Soren accepted the reward grinned. "Thanks, mom. Love you."

As the two of them bounded off together, Lucario chuckled. "Those two are such a nice pair." As she was heading back to her home, she couldn't help but feel a strange sense creeping up on her. "It has been quite a long while since Mightyena was turned in... I hope he's behaving."

~o~o~o~o~

"Have you gotten used to climbing stairs yet?" Soren teased, watching as Gina panted her way up the hill to the guild.

"Shut up," she said breathlessly. "And believe it or not, sort of. Maybe it's because we've had to do it so much."

Soren looked up at the sky. The sun had already set over the horizon, leaving the sky at a quickly darknening shade of indigo and orange. "We'd better hurry in. They're probably all wondering where we are."

"Ah, don't worry about it!" Gina said with a wave of her tail. "They probably haven't even noticed!"

Unfortunately, Gina was wrong. As they descended the ladder to the bottom floor, they found the guild members crowded around them, their faces showing looks of worry and anger. She gulped. This was not going to be fun.

"Oh my gosh, where have you two been?!" Sunflora shrieked. "We've been waiting for you ever since sunset!"

"I've had to delay dinner because of you!" Chimecho added.

"We've all been STARVING while you were gone!" Loudred boomed.

The rest of the guild members put in their protests, and Gina and Soren could hardly get a word in. One voice rose above the others. "Can't you see these two can't be trusted? Who knows where they were! They don't even deserve to be here!"

The crowd parted to reveal Amber, who stalked threateningly toward them. "Did you idiots think just because you caught your first outlaw it makes you better than everyone else? You aren't the only ones at this guild, you know!" she hissed.

"We were just held up!" Gina snapped back. "We didn't think that we could do whatever we wanted! Don't think that we don't care about our guild work!"

"Oh I'm so sure that's what it is," Amber said bitterly, sarcasm dripping from her words. She pressed her face closer to Gina's, so that all the Eevee could see were her furious eyes. "If it weren't for you screwing up everything, we'd have all had dinner and we'd be resting for tomorrow. But it looks like that isn't the case, is it?"

"Get out of my face!"

"Make me!"

"Enough!" Chatot shoved his way between them, but the girls were still trying to get at each other, reaching their paws around him. "Amber, I'll deal with you later. As for you two!" he whipped his head in Gina and Soren's direction. "Gina and Riolu, I cannot do much but let you off with a warning and a job different than what you would normally get. Tomorrow, instead of doing jobs from the Job Bulletin Board and the Outlaw Notice Board, you will be doing sentry duty."

"Wait Chatot!" Soren tried to interrupt. "You didn't hear what we have to say. You see, we-"

"That's enough!" Chatot squawked. "I don't want to hear another word! I have already made up my mind. You will be doing sentry duty tomorrow, no excuses!"

Gina ignored the last part. "But...we don't even know how to do sentry duty!" she said quickly. "How will we be able to do it if we don't know how?"

"That won't be a problem," he replied, unfazed. "Loudred will be able to teach you exactly how to do it." With that, Gina fell silent and settled her gaze on her paws.

"Um... Then what will I be doing?" Diglett asked quietly.

Chatot turned to him. "You will be helping Dugtrio with his job. Understood?" When Diglett nodded in response, he continued, "Now come have dinner. It will be a busy day for you all tomorrow."

As everyone headed into the mess hall, Amber smirked. "Sucks for you. Sentry duty is the worst job. Why do you think they gave it to Loudred and Diglett? It's only for Pokemon that don't have any hopes on being on an exploration team." The Vulpix held her head high as she followed the others into the mess hall.

"This may come as a shock to you, but I'm really beginning to hate her," Gina said through gritted teeth.

"It's not that bad, really." Gina spotted Jasper walking over to them. "Sentry duty. I mean, I've never done it, but lots of the apprentices have had to do it. They've never really said it was a bad job to do."

Soren smiled. "That's nice to know. Thanks, Jasper."

The Shinx dipped his head modestly. "I-it's nothing. Um... We should probably go get dinner, before they all start complaining again."

The Riolu nodded. As the three walked together, he spoke up again. "By the way...call me Soren now, not Riolu."

~o~o~o~o~

"Jasper was right!" Gina exclaimed as Soren helped her out of the sentry duty hole. "That wasn't too bad after all!"

Chatot and Loudred stood side by side, whispering amongst themselves. Gina hoped that they weren't going to say they did terribly. They did try their hardest, after all. How bad could it be?

Chatot turned to them. "We have reviewed your sentry duty performance. Loudred tells me that you identified four out of six visitors correctly. Therefore, you are rewarded..." Chatot unfurled one wing to reveal 100 Poké. "This is as much as I am permitted to give you."

"That's fine!" Gina said with a wide grin. "We tried our best, so that's all that matters!" Out of the corner of her eye she could see Amber mimicking her in a taunting fashion, complete with overly dramatic bright eyes.

"It's good of you to be so positive, Gina," Chatot replied approvingly. "You'll be back on the regular schedule tomorrow, so as always I expect your best work."

"And back here ON TIME!" Loudred added.

"Of course," Soren said. "We've learned our lesson, and it won't happen again, we promise."

"Good to hear!" With that, Chatot hopped away towards the Guildmaster's chamber.

"We could've done better," Soren pointed out when he left. "Maybe next time we'll do better."

"If there is a next time," Gina said. "We have to do good with our other guild work too, you know."

"Knowing you, there probably will be a next time." Gina's ears pricked at the sound of Amber's voice. She turned her head to see the Vulpix approaching them. "I'll give you this, you weren't that bad for your first time," she added with a smirk.

Soren's mouth spread into a lopsided grin, clearly surprised by her first polite remark. "Well thanks, Amber. That's really nice of you to say."

Amber's eyes flashed. "Maybe you should do it all the time instead of failing at your missions."

_And she's back,_ Gina thought. "Seriously, why are you like this? We never did anything wrong to you."

Amber opened her mouth, ready to reply with a stinging retort, when she was suddenly interrupted by Chimecho. "Sorry to keep everyone waiting!" she sang. "I've finished preparing dinner!"

The guild members rushed past them to the mess hall, and as Amber was leaving, she glared at Gina. "We'll continue another time," she muttered. "But for now, just keep your mouth shut."

* * *

**Okay, seriously, please review. This fanfic has had over 200 hits and zero reviews. Please guys. I'll still continue the story, but seriously. **

**Stay tuned for Chapter 8!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Here, have a chapter. Yippee.**

* * *

"Everyone, please quiet down!" Chatot said. "I have an announcement to make."

The gathered apprentices exchanged confused looks as their voices lowered. Gina looked over at Soren, who simply shrugged.

Chatot cleared his throat before speaking. "Far to the Northeast and into its outermost reaches, there is a place called Treeshroud Forest. Apparently, time has come to a standstill there."

A shocked gasp spread through the crowd.

"Time has stopped?!"

"That's insane! How did that even happen?!"

"Indeed, time has completely stopped," Chatot continued. "The wind does not blow, the clouds do not move, and dewdrops on leaves do not fall, instead hanging on the edge, suspended in midair. In Treeshroud Forest...time itself has truly ended."

"Th-that can't be!" Dugtrio exclaimed.

"How could this have happened?" Sunflora said. "It's like...like the unthinkable has happened!"

"That is indeed the truth, Sunflora," the Flying-type stated. "The reason time has stopped in Treeshroud Forest is because...its Time Gear was stolen."

Gina's eyes widened. "Seriously?"

"Hey, hey, it seems so!" Corphish replied.

"Now that it's really happened, it does seem like it's entirely possible!" Chimecho put in.

"I don't get it, though!" Loudred yelled. "Why would anyone take a Time Gear?!"

Chatot flapped his wings. "Everyone, please quiet down!" The noise eventually died down, and Chatot went on. "Officer Magnezone has already begun to investigate. He warns everyone to keep a sharp eye out for any suspicious characters. Please keep this in mind as you all go about your work. If you understand all of that, then we'd best get on with work as usual! Here's to another good day!"

"HOORAY!"

The apprentices dispersed, and Gina and Soren were about to follow them when Chatot called for them. "I wonder what he wants," Soren said.

Chatot began to speak when they approached. "Even after what happened a few days ago, you two have done very admirable work for the guild so far, especially your capture of Drowzee. So, the Guildmaster and I have decided that today you shall embark on your first exploration!"

Gina bounced up and down excitedly. "We're going to go on our first exploration! Yay!" She paused and frowned. "I don't really know what it means... Still, this is so exciting!"

Chatot motioned for her to stop jumping. "Now, please open your Wonder Map."

Soren dug through their Treasure Bag until he found the rolled paper. He undid the red ribbon tied around it and unrolled the map. "So, where are we headed?"

The Flying-type pointed with his wing at a waterfall on the map. "This is where we would like you to explore. We have received word that there may be a method of exploring this waterfall to unravel the secrets it may hold. We want you to investigate this place and see if the rumors are true. Understood?"

Gina nodded excitedly, but Soren was completely still, and his partner noticed that he was slightly trembling. "Soren? You okay?"

Chatot's voice took on a worried tone. "A-are you alright?"

"I-I'm fine," Soren replied shakily. "It's just the anticipation that's making me nervous. I feel so excited, but I can't help feeling all worked up." Soren turned to Gina, his eyes lit up with delight. "Can you believe this, Gina? This is so awesome! Let's go prepare right away!"

Gina flicked her tail in agreement, and the pair raced up the ladder leading out of the guild.

~o~o~o~o~

Soren looked up from the map to see an enormous waterfall pouring down in front of them. "Well, here we are." Looking from side to side, he frowned. "This is where the Guildmaster wanted us to explore?"

Gina shrugged. "Apparently. Let's start looking around for an entrance, maybe we'll-" She broke off when she spotted Soren walking closer to the edge. "Soren? What are you up to?"

Soren reached out an experimental hand to touch the water. When he made contact, he yelped and jumped back, shaking his hand roughly. "Yeesh! That water's coming down hard!"

"Let me see!" Gina skipped up to the waterfall until it was just inches away from her nose. Soren was right; she could barely stay standing near it. She reached out her paw the same way her partner did, and was blown back by the force.

Soren gasped. "Are you okay, Gina?"

The Eevee gave herself a shake. "Y-yeah, I'm fine," she said. "You weren't kidding, that water's crazy!"

"I know!" Soren looked the waterfall up and down. "So...where should we start looking? We don't really have much to go by."

"That's true," Gina said. "All there is that we can see is this waterfall. If we had just one-" Her words were cut off as her vision flickered, and her head whirled. _Here it comes again,_ she thought. _Another dizzy spell... _

Her sight went black for a moment, and barely a second passed before she could see again. It was still at the same waterfall, but Gina saw a lone Pokemon standing in front of it. She squinted, trying to get a better look at them, but to no avail. She gasped when the Pokemon backed up and sprinted towards the waterfall. She thought they would ram into a solid wall, but instead they went right through the water and to the other side.

On the opposite side of the falls was what looked like a cave. The Pokemon rolled forward a little ways in before getting up and moving on to explore the rest of the cavern.

Soon she was back to staring at the waterfall alongside Soren. Her partner stared at her questioningly. "What's wrong, Gina?" His eyes widened. "Don't tell me... You had another dizzy spell, didn't you?"

"Yes," Gina replied. "This time I saw a Pokemon jump through the waterfall and they ended up in a cave on the other side." She took a deep breath before speaking again. "I think it means that we should try jumping through it, too."

"Are you serious?" he gasped. "You're actually suggesting we leap through it?!" He glanced at the waterfall. "Gina, can't you just imagine it there was a solid cliff wall behind this thing? Another thing, that water's coming down heavily."

Gina imagined what he had described, and she shuddered at the though of the two of them not coming back to the guild because of it. "We would get badly injured..." she mused. "But I still think there's something behind there. We should at least try!"

Soren folded his arms across his chest. "Give me one good reason why I should do that."

Gina frowned at his stubbornness. "The past three visions I've had weren't wrong! Thanks to them, we were able to rescue Azurill and assure your mother that you were safe! Is that a good enough reason?"

Soren sulked. He didn't speak for a while; all that could be heard was the crashing of the falls. When he finally spoke, his voice had a hint of hope. "Alright. I believe you, Gina. I'm going to put as much faith in you as I can."

The two of them backed up, preparing for a running leap. Out of the corner of her eye, Gina saw Soren give a shudder. "Don't worry," she said. "We'll go together."

" Right. We can't hesitate. If we fail to jump through at full speed...we're done for."

Gina flashed a grin of determination. "Be brave... Be the bravest ever!" She gave Soren one last look. "Ready for this?"

He nodded. Turning to the waterfall, he started to count down. "Three!"

"Two!" Gina crouched in preparation for the run.

"One!" they shouted together.

Gina and Soren sprinted as hard and quickly as they could, determination fueling them. The second they reached the edge of the cliff, they pushed off with their legs, feeling the rushing water over their heads for barely a couple of seconds.

The two skidded across the rock floor. Gina winced, shaking out the water in her fur. Opening her eyes, she gasped at the sight of the cave she saw in her vision.

"Soren! I was right!" she squealed excitedly. "There really was a cave behind the waterfall!"

Soren slowly got up, and his eyes shone. "You're right! This is so awesome!" He cocked his head towards the cave mouth, which lead to several sprawling tunnels. "Come on! Let's go explore this cave, Gina! We'll have a great story to tell the guild!"

Gina followed her partner with a bounce in her step. Their first official exploration had finally begun.

~o~o~o~o~

Soren and Gina soon arrived at an area of the cave which was far larger than the rest of it. The sound of dripping water echoed off the cave walls, filling the room with a mysterious quality of some sort.

"That cave was like a maze," Gina remarked as they entered. "I'm not surprised this place hasn't been-Oh my gosh! Shiny!" She ran up to one of the colored crystals poking out of the ground. "This is so cool, Soren! Look at them all! Imagine what everyone would say if we took this all home with us!"

"Never mind the small ones," Soren said distractedly. "Instead...look at that one over there." He pointed at the back of the cave, where an enormous pink gem was embedded into the wall. "Come on; let's get a closer look."

Gina's eyes bulged as they went nearer. "This. Is. So cool!"

"I'll say!" Soren replied. "Let me see if I can pull it out." He approached the gem. He placed his hands on both sides of the gem and pulled with as much strength as he could. He grunted with the effort, and to his dismay, the gem did not move an inch.

"Here, let me try." Gina moved to his place and did the same as he did. Sure enough, the gem still did not budge. "This thing is really stuck tight!"

"We can't give up now, though," he insisted. "I'll try it again. It has to come out at some point!"

She backed up to give her partner another chance. She tilted her head in confusion. "This is so weird," she mumbled to herself. "No matter how hard we try, we just can't get that thing to move." She was about to go help Soren get it out, when suddenly her sight darkened, signaling the start of another vision. She sighed, eager to get it over with.

Gina saw the shadowy Pokemon again. This time, the vision took place inside the same cave she and Soren were in. Gina watched as the Pokemon walked calmly towards the gem. She heard a faint _click_when the Pokemon touched it. Almost immediately after, the ground started to shake wildly. The Pokemon looked down the corridor to its right, and it panicked as water rushed out in a torrent and engulfed him in the dark waves.

When her vision cleared, she gasped. _Th-that means...!_

Soren let out an exhausted wheeze. "This thing certainly doesn't want to go anywhere..." he panted. He turned around to face Gina. "What do we do now?"

Gina's voice trembled when she spoke. "Just whatever you do, don't-"

Soren leaned back against the gem, and his ears pricked with surprise when he heard a clicking noise.

"Soren!" Gina gasped. "Do you have any idea what you just did?!"

Soren gulped. "N-no, what?"

"I just had another vision! When you push on that gem, a huge wave of-" The ground started to shake. The sound of raging water filled the cave. Gina ran down the tunnel to the left. "Follow me! Hurry!"

Soren's eyes were still wide with shock, but he did as she said. As they ran, Soren turned his head to glance behind him. A flood rushed out from the opposite corridor. "Hurry!" he yelled. "That thing's catching up to us!"

"I'm going as fast as I can!" Gina shouted back.

The water caught up to them almost immediately, and they screamed as it swallowed them up, carrying them farther and farther through the tunnel. When it felt as though the water was carrying them upward, they shut their eyes tightly, bracing themselves to feel the stalactites piercing their skin.

To their surprise, they felt a rush of air hit their faces. They soon felt themselves falling, faster and faster...

Until a loud splash was heard. Hot water filled Gina's nose and ears, and she paddled her paws, searching for a stable hold on the ground. Her head surfaced, and she shook herself wildly.

"Gina? Soren?" The Eevee looked to her side to see Jasper in the water next to them, his eyes wide with surprise. "You just fell from the sky! What happened?"

Soren soon got up, shaking his head in a daze. "Wh-where are we...?"

"The Hot Spring," said Amber, who was dozing at the edge of the water. "It was totally peaceful until you two decided to drop in. So thanks for that."

"The Hot Spring?" Soren gasped.

A hearty chuckle sounded from the side. "Indeed!" Looking to where the voice came from, Gina spotted an elderly Pokemon hobbled nearer. "My name is Torkoal. Welcome to the Hot Springs, youngsters! This place is where Pokemon of all ages come to relax and relieve aching and creaky joints." Seeing the still-confused looks on their faces, he added, "By chance, would you two happen to have a map?"

"Yeah, it's in here somewhere," Soren replied. He brought the Treasure Bag above the water and pulled out the Treasure Map, relieved to see it was not completely wet. He waded over to where Torkoal stood, unfolding it.

"We are here," Torkoal said, pointing to an area not too far from Waterfall Cave.

Soren noticed this. "Hey, Gina, look! That must have been some kind of waterspout or something. It carried us all the way from the waterfall to here!"

"Goodness! It was the water that carried you all the way here?" Torkoal exclaimed. "That must have been tiring for you. Feel free to stay here before you go back."

Gina smiled, feeling pleased by Torkoal's kindness. "Will do! Thanks!"

Jasper paddled over to them. "So, did you discover anything?" he asked. "What was it like there?"

As Soren explained their exploration, Gina turned to Amber. "Why aren't you in the water?" she questioned. "It's not that deep."

Amber opened one glaring eye drowsily. "I don't think you've noticed, which really isn't that surprising, but I'm kind of a Fire-type. I can't exactly be in water."

Gina chuckled. "I'm sure you can! Torkoal's here all the time; I'm sure you'd be fine, too!" She grabbed Amber's paws, prepared to drag her in.

"Hey! Watch it! What are you-Ah!" Amber slipped and fell face-first into the water. She resurfaced, gasping and flailing her paws madly. "You idiot! What were you thinking? Thanks to you I'm going to... Wait, why am I not drowning?" She stared curiously at Torkoal.

"The Hot Spring is safe for all Pokemon," he responded. "Even those who have a disadvantage over Water-type Pokemon."

Amber sniffed. "It sure would've been great to know that a few seconds ago," she muttered.

~o~o~o~o~

Gina, Soren, Amber and Jasper had travelled back to the guild together, reluctantly. Even though Soren and Jasper were doing fine, Amber was still miffed about what had happened back at the Hot Spring with Gina.

When they arrived back at the guild, Gina and Soren went straight to Chatot to report their findings. They explained in detail what happened, and Soren made sure to leave out the parts where Gina had her visions. He decided Chatot would find out about her power soon enough.

"So, to recap," Chatot said when Soren finished speaking. "There is a cave behind the waterfall. Inside that cave are numerous gemstones, and when you accidentally pushed on the largest one, you were flooded out of the cave?"

"Yes," Soren sighed. "We're a bit disappointed that we couldn't bring it back..."

"Oh, no, no!" Chatot exclaimed. "Do not be disappointed! This is an astounding discovery! Before now, no one even knew about the mystery of the waterfall! You have both done magnificent work today!"

Soren's face brightened. "R-really?"

"Of course! Of course! The Guildmaster will be pleased to hear this!"

As the two of them talked, Gina couldn't help but feel uneasy. _If no one knew about the waterfall...then what did I see? That Pokemon looked so familiar... It just doesn't seem right..._ Realization suddenly hit her. _Of course! That shape... There's no mistaking it! _

"Hey, wait!" Gina interrupted. "I have a feeling that the cave was visited before by someone."

Chatot tilted his head in curiosity. "Oh? And who do you think it might be?"

Gina laughed sheepishly. "You're going to think I'm crazy on this one... But I think maybe... Maybe Wigglytuff went there once before we did."

Soren gasped. He looked from Gina, to Chatot, before he spoke again. "I-is that true?"

Chatot flapped his wings frantically. "No, no, no, of course not! It isn't true in the slightest!"

"Please, Chatot," Gina begged. "Just ask him! I'm convinced he's been to the cave before."

The Flying-type sighed. "If you insist, I will ask him." As he turned towards Wigglytuff's room, he sighed. It sounded as though he were talking to himself. Gina strained her ears to hear what he was saying. "... These apprentices are yet another strange crew, aren't they...?"

"What did you say, Chatot?" Gina asked, attempting to hide the mix of amusement and slight annoyance in her voice.

"Oh nothing! Nothing at all!" he replied quickly without turning to look at her. "If you'll excuse me, I must speak with the Guildmaster. Please wait patiently here until I return."

The doors shut behind him, and Gina and Soren were left standing alone outside. They were left waiting longer than they expected, and Gina was about to get up and leave, although she didn't know where she would go. Chatot soon exited the Guildmaster's room.

"Well?" Gina demanded. "What did he say?"

"I told the Guildmaster what you suspected Gina," he explained. "He was silent for a moment, when he suddenly said, 'Oh, precious memories! Yoom...TAH!' Then he danced around for a little bit. Then he said, 'Yes! When I think hard, I did indeed go there once!' So it is as Gina expected: The Guildmaster has gone to the Waterfall Cave before."

Soren frowned. "Oh... I see. So we didn't really do anything all that special, huh?" He paused, before shaking his head. "Why didn't Wigglytuff just tell us up front he'd been there?"

"The Guildmaster can be...erratic at times," Chatot said. "Sometimes even I cannot understand what goes on in his head." He laughed. "Well, even in spite of this, I expect your best effort tomorrow!"

~o~o~o~o~

That night, Gina and Soren were too exhausted to do much else other than sleep. Gina felt as though she would fall asleep as soon as she laid down.

Soren stood by the window, sighing as he stared at the moon and stars. "We went through a lot today, didn't we? We didn't even discover anything in the end..."

"Hey, come on, Soren!" Gina attempted to cheer him up. "It was our first exploration! It was still really exciting for both of us!"

"But we didn't really discover anything at all," he countered. "The entire place had already been explored before."

"We still did our best. And thanks to my visions, we were able to find that out! If it weren't for me, we'd go on thinking we were big shots! I think we were lucky."

Soren scoffed. "Yeah, lucky..." He turned around. "You know, after today, I think I finally realize I made the right decision in creating an exploration team with you." He pulled the Relic Fragment out from beneath his scarf. "Maybe one day we'll solve the secret of my Relic Fragment."

"Well, you never know! You've been wanting to solve the secret ever since you found it, right? If we did, it would be the greatest day of our lives!"

The Riolu chuckled. "It sure would be. It would probably be thanks to you of course." Seeing the confused look on his friend's face, he continued. "You're the one who's been able to make me brave. I can explore because of you. So...thanks for being there, Gina."

Gina smirked. "You're such a softie, you know?"

"Heh, maybe I am." Neither spoke for a while, until Soren suddenly gasped. "Hey! I just realized something!"

Gina tilted her head. "What would that be?"

"When you have your dizzy spells, you always seem to be touching something."

Gina's eyes widened. "Th-that's true! When we rescued Azurill, I touched his Apple, and then Drowzee bumped into me. Both of those things caused a vision! When I saw you and your past, I had touched you! Then today, I touched the waterfall and the gem, and I saw Wigglytuff!"

Soren was pacing thoughtfully now, tapping his chin. "What's more, when we rescued Azurill, you saw events that occurred in the future, right?"

"Yeah?"

"When you had that vision of me, and today when we went on our exploration, you saw events that happened in the past."

Gina stood up. "So what you're saying is that when I touch something or someone, I see its past or future?"

"Exactly!" He stopped pacing to stare up at the ceiling in thought, a thrilled look in his eyes. "This is awesome, Gina! Just think of all the ways you could use this ability! It doesn't have to be just in exploring, either!"

"W-well yeah, that's true," Gina stammered, taken aback by his excitement. "But that won't always mean I'll see something."

They were taken by surprise when they heard someone clear their throat. Turning to the entrance, they saw Chatot looking at them expectantly. "The Guildmaster would like to see you both."

Gina and Soren exchanged a curious glance. Shrugging, they followed Chatot to Wigglytuff's room.

When they entered, Wigglytuff spun around. "Hiya! You've all been through a lot today! Yes, a lot-lot! But don't relax! I'm still reviewing your progress!"

"So, why did you call us down?" Soren asked. "We're not in trouble, are we?"

"Nope! I called you down for a different reason!" he replied. "We're going to be mounting an expedition soon. We'll be exploring somewhere far away from here."

"Wow, really?" Gina's tail quivered with excitement. "An expedition?" She had no clear idea what would happen on an expedition, but she could still feel energy coursing through her.

"Indeed. We carefully choose from the apprentices who will go on the expedition, as it is much harder than exploring around here," Chatot informed them.

"Normally, we would never pick one of the newer apprentices," Wigglytuff continued. "But since you two have been working so hard, we've decided to include you in the list of candidates for the expedition!"

A wide grin spread across Soren's face. "R-really?"

Chatot waved a wing. "Even with that being said, we still expect you to do your best work. If you fail to do good work before we pick the expedition members, then do not expect to be on the expedition. Understand?"

"Of course we do!" Gina turned to her partner, eyes showing the same level of excitement as his were. "We should get to sleep now so that we can work extra hard tomorrow!"

Waving goodbye to Wigglytuff and Chatot, they exited the Guildmaster's room, heading to their own.

"Psst!"  
Gina's ears pricked. "Did you hear that?" she whispered to Soren. "I think it came from Bidoof's room."

Soren rolled his eyes. "You want to go check it out, don't you?"

Gina answered his question by turning around and tiptoeing to the room. Poking her head inside, she saw most of the apprentices, minus Loudred and Sunflora, gathered in the center in a circle.

Chimecho looked up. "Hi. We were wondering if you wanted to join us. We're telling scary stories."

Gina bounced up and down. "That sounds cool! Of course we'll join!"

Soren tapped Gina's shoulder. "Uh, what about when you said-"

Gina ignored him and settled down beside Bidoof. Sighing, Soren walked over to sit next to her. "Where are Sunflora and Loudred?" Gina asked.

"Sunflora's in our room. She didn't want to come," Chimecho explained. "I told her you were coming. Loudred's still out on a mission." Chimecho turned to Croagunk, nodding. "You can continue now."

Croagunk let out a raspy laugh. "Well, alright then. He ran, farther and farther, until he thought he lost the horrible creature. But when he turned around...it caught him!" A frightened gasp spread through the circle. "He was never seen again."

Chimecho grinned. "That was a great story, Croagunk," she said. "Does anyone else have a story to share?"

The apprentices glanced at each other, shrugging. Gina guessed they didn't have a story as scary as Croagunk's.

Finally, a voice stammered, "Um... I have one."

It was Jasper who spoke. He was shuffling his paws nervously. "I heard this story one day, but I just hope I can remember it all."

"Hey, hey, it's okay if you can't remember it now!" Corphish said, clicking his claws. "Just try to remember it!"

Jasper nodded. "Okay... This is a true story, happening in Labyrinth Cave. A team named Team Flare, consisting of a Magmortar, Houndoom, and Arcanine, received a mission telling them to go there and rescue the client. It told them specifically what floor they would find this client on and the reward was very generous. The team accepted the mission and went out to the cave.

"However, they were having much difficulty trying to find the lost client. They refused to leave the floor they were on, not wanting to fail. After a while, however, they all felt a strange cold breeze, and they had the feeling that someone was watching them."

Gina gulped. Jasper certainly remembered the story; it was as though she could see the scene before her eyes.

"Magmortar tried to calm his team down, telling them not to worry and that everything would be fine," Jasper went on. His eyes were gleaming now, as though he was scaring himself. "The more Team Flare explored the floor, the more the uncomfortable feeling grew. The breeze kept coming back, picking up strength each time it happened, until it felt as though there was a windstorm happening inside of the cave. Not long after, they could hear...something that sounded like the wall behind them was cracking. They had no time to call for help...when it struck."

Gina clung onto Soren's arm, shaking fearfully.

"No one saw them again after that," Jasper said. "Many think they simply went elsewhere. Others think they are gone forever. One thing that everyone knows now is this: you must not stay on one floor of a dungeon for too long. No matter how strong you are, no matter how fast you are, it will find you. It knows your every move. If you don't leave when you can...it will catch you."

Jasper yawned, his eyes already half shut. Amber patted his shoulder. "We should get to bed." She helped Jasper to his feet, and left the group.

Chimecho smiled. "That was fun. But Amber's right; we really need to get some sleep. Goodnight, everyone!"

Gina and Soren left Bidoof's room, settling down in their own beds, staring up at the ceiling.

Soren's eyes were still wide. "We're not going to sleep tonight, are we?"

"After that?" Gina asked. "No way!"

* * *

**Stay tuned! (Not like anyone will listen to me asking for feedback, so I'll just cut off the author's notes thing right here)**


	9. Chapter 9

Soren yawned, trying to force his eyes open the next morning. They received almost no sleep the previous night, and they only dozed off for a short while before Loudred came in and woke them up.

Looking over at Gina, he saw that even she looked utterly exhausted. "We should have just gone to bed, huh?" she asked with a smirk.

"No kidding."

With forced enthusiasm, they joined in with the guild's morning cheers. _How can we be energized when we barely got any sleep last night?_ Gina wondered. _It's impossible!_

"Ah! You two!" Soren and Gina straightened up at the sound of Chatot's voice. Turning their attention to him, he continued, "Today, do jobs from one of the bulletin boards. That will do for today, and no shirking your work, okay?"

"Yes, sir," they mumbled in unison. Mustering as much energy as they could, the two climbed the ladder to the middle floor.

"Alright, we may be tired and unmotivated, but we still have to try to get picked for the expedition," Soren said. "So smile and pretend that you enjoy waking up this early."

Gina forced the corners of her mouth into a grin. "Okay, if you insist," she responded.

Soren turned to the Job Bulletin Board, when he stopped suddenly. "H-hey, Gina," he whispered. "Don't those Pokemon look familiar?"

She followed his gaze and spotted two Poison-type Pokemon hovering in front of the board. A gasp caught in her throat. _Zubat and Koffing?!_

Koffing glanced at them casually, before doing a double-take. "Wha-Hey, Zubat!" He nudged his partner. "It's them!"

Zubat turned around and gasped. "You two? What are you doing here?"

Gina glared, her energy returning rapidly. "We should be asked you the same question!" she hissed.

Koffing laughed. "I'll have you know we're also an exploration team," he said smugly.

"Heh heh! What's so funny 'bout an exploration team checking out the Job Bulletin Board, huh?" Zubat asked.

Soren still had a look of shock on his face. "You guys are actually an exploration team?"

"That's right," Koffing replied. "But the way we work isn't always...you know, by the book." He let out another hoarse laugh. "What a surprise, though! We didn't expect to see you chumps here!"

Soren refused to back down, even though he was slightly shaking. "We wanted to become an exploration team. So we joined Wigglytuff's Guild for training."

"What?!" Koffing yelled.

"You two want to be an exploration team?" Zubat gasped. He and Koffing turned to each other, nodded, and got behind Soren, shoving him to the wall beside the Job Bulletin Board.

Straining her ears, Gina tried to catch what they were saying to her partner. She was able to pick up Koffing's voice. "Listen, you. Don't take this the wrong way...but you should just forget being on an exploration team."

Soren's eyes widened. "What? Why do you say that?"

Zubat snorted. "Well, you're timid. You scare way too easily to be on an exploration team. A little scaredy-cat like you wouldn't cut it."

"W-well, it's true that I'm timid," Soren admitted. He shoved them out of the way to stand next to Gina. "Which is why I'm working on getting over my nervousness!"

"That's right!" Gina nodded in approval. "In fact, we're working hard to be on the guild's expedition!"

A glimmer of interest flashed in Koffing's eyes. "Oh? An expedition, you say?"

Soren glanced at Gina. "Did you really have to go and say that?" he whispered sharply.

"Sorry, I had to say something!"

"Heh, well effort can only get you so far," Zubat said. "In the end, what you need is talent. Pure talent!"

Soren felt anger rising in his chest, and he clenched his fist to avoid punching one of them. "You sure talk all high and mighty!" he snapped. "All you do is talk about talent, but what kind of skills do you two have? You're so weak, we beat you when we first met!"

Koffing smirked. "Woah-ho! Well, we didn't have the Chief with us."

Gina's face fell. "Ch-chief?"

"Heh heh, yeah that's right," Zubat snickered. "Team Skull, that's our exploration team, has three members, our Chief being one of them. He's incredibly talented."

"To put it bluntly, he's brutally tough," Koffing added. "If we had him around back then, we'd have snapped you like a twig."

Zubat sniffed the air. "Heh! Speaking of the Chief, I can smell him coming now!"

Soren unclenched his fist, letting it fall to his side. "What do you mean by smell?"

"You'll see in a moment!" Koffing turned his attention to the ladder. "Here comes the Chief!"

Gina and Soren whipped their heads to the ladder. A large purple Pokemon was making their way down the ladder. Gina realized too late that she was standing closer to the ladder than Soren was.

The Pokemon turned around, his small eyes narrowed. "Get out of my way!" he snarled at the Eevee. Before giving her time to move, he launched a cloud of foul-smelling dark smoke at her. She backed up quickly, trying to escape the stench.

It soon spread to the other side of the floor, and everyone else was instantly filing their complaints.

"Eek! What is that smell!" Sunflora shrieked.

"Yup yup, that scent sure is foul!" Bidoof protested.

"Hey, hey! My eyes are burning!" Corphish cried.

Soren could do nothing but watch the scene, his body almost feeling frozen. He only moved when the Poison-type turned in his direction.

"Move it!" he snarled. "Or do you want to end up like that wimp over there?" He pointed at Gina, who was crouched low to the ground, locked in a coughing fit.

Soren gulped, and stepped back to let him pass.

Koffing greeted the Chief with a smug grin. "Skuntank!"

"That was awesome, Chief!" Zubat said, clearly trying to earn his leader's praise. "You're the best!"

Skuntank flicked the long fur out of his eyes. "Yeah, whatever," he brushed off their comments with ease, as though he were used to them. "So did you two find any jobs that'll bring in the cash?"

Koffing huffed. "Well, the guild's boards only have cheap tasks posted..."

Zubat finished Koffing's sentence. "There's something even better, Chief. It's got the potential to make us richer than we ever dreamed..." He whispered into his leader's ear. Soren guessed Zubat was telling Skuntank about the upcoming expedition.

Skuntank gave an approving nod. "Well, an expedition from this guild sure does sound appealing." He flicked his head towards the ladder. "Come on, boys; we have planning to do."

With wide grins, Koffing and Zubat followed their leader out. Koffing turned to the guild members, who were watching them with eyes wide. "What are you all staring at? Think this is some kind of performance?"

They gasped, huddling close to whisper amongst themselves.

Zubat gave one last comment to Soren and Gina, the latter still on the ground. "Heh, see you around, suckers!" He followed his team back up the ladder, leaving unease hanging in the air.

The second Zubat was out of sight, Soren rushed to his partner's side. "Gina? Are you okay?"

"Y-yeah," she wheezed. "I'm fine." Her body shuddered as she coughed some more. "That was awful, though..." She shook her fur out, feeling filthy somehow.

The Riolu hung his head. "I'm sorry," he apologized. "I couldn't even work up the courage to challenge him myself!" He sighed. "I'm a failure. They're right; I'm nothing but a complete wimp."

"Hey, don't say that," Gina soothed. "You're not a wimp. I know that for sure. You just need to try to be more confident in yourself, that's all."

He slouched, staring at the ground. "Thanks for trying to cheer me up, Gina," he mumbled. "But I really am just a wimp."

"You can still do your best, even if you aren't very brave, though," Gina urged. "Don't you remember our exploration yesterday? When we had to jump through the waterfall, you were scared, but you still did it, and we were able to make it through to the end of the cave!"

Soren looked up as she went on. "You presented real bravery then. Even though you were scared, you didn't let that get in the way, because you knew if we did get through the waterfall, we'd have completed our first exploration, which was important to us at the time. I think that's what bravery is, not just being all fearless and stuff."

He cracked a tiny smile. "Then in that case, I'll just have to be cheerful and keep trying," he said. "Thanks, Gina."

Gina giggled. "Why is it always me giving you the pep talks? Why can't I ever get one?"

Soren shrugged. "For now, let's focus on doing the job requests like we were told." He walked up to the Job Bulletin Board, taking down one of the papers. "How does this one sound? It's in the Drenched Bluff, and we need to rescue a Machop that is stuck on the fourth floor."

"As long as it isn't from your mom, pretending to be someone else again, I'm all for it," Gina laughed.

Soren nodded, putting the job request in the Treasure Bag. "Then let's get to it!"

As they made their way out of the guild and down the hill to the crossroads, they noticed two blue Pokemon standing outside beside a sign, one smaller and the other taller, with an odd red coloration on its lips. Gina wandered up to them curiously. "Hi, what's going on?" she asked.

The smaller of the pair smiled. "Oh! A customer, is it not?"

Soren narrowed his eyes. "What?"

The pair walked up to them. The young one spoke again. "Good day, is it not? The new shop, Spinda's Café is now open for business! This wonderful place is overflowing with hopes and dreams!"

Gina blinked rapidly. "What are you talking about? Hopes and dreams?"

The older Pokemon finally spoke, raising her hand in a salute. "That's right!"

The younger smiled. "We should introduce ourselves, should we not? I am Wynaut!" Turning to his companion, he added, "This is Wobbuffet!" Before Soren or Gina could respond, Wynaut and Wobbuffet stepped to the side. "Why not come in for a peek? Don't be shy!" Wynaut urged.

Soren shuffled his feet uncomfortably. "I'm not so sure about this, Gina. Should we go?"

"Why not? We still have time before we need to head out," Gina said with a smile.

Wynaut leaned down into a hole leading underground. "We have two guests!" he called. He and Wobbuffet led the way down, Gina and Soren following.

Under the ground was a well-sized room. Odd spirals decorated the floorboards, and there were several tables scattered throughout the shop. Various Pokemon were situated around the tables, tall glasses sitting in front of them.

"Gina, this is..." Soren trailed off, his red eyes wide with wonder.

"Amazing," she finished for him. She, too, felt in awe of the shop.

"Welcome! Welcome!" They turned their attention to another Pokemon coming towards them with a stagger in his step. "This is Spinda's Café! My name is Spinda, and as you could probably tell I am the owner of this shop! Here, Pokemon can come to relax and share stories with other explorers!"

"Really?" Gina asked. "That sounds really cool."

Spinda nodded. "That's right! Explorers would want to refresh themselves with a delicious drink after exploring, so that is why I provide this service to them, and I trust it will bring them happiness." He gestured with his hand for them to follow. "Let me show you around!"

They followed him to the stand on the left side of the room, which had several glasses and boxes of berries stacked neatly on the shelves. "This is the Juice Bar. If you bring a food item here, say an Apple or an Oran Berry, I will use my skills to create a delicious drink for you!"

"That sounds like it would be nice, huh Gina?" Soren said.

"Yeah!" she agreed. "We could even share exploration stories with the other Pokemon here!"

"Exactly!" Spinda cheered. "Here you don't need to be afraid to talk to everyone else. All the Pokemon here just met today, and as you can see they don't seem too nervous to be around others or talk to them!"

Spinda went over to the opposite side of the shop, coming to a halt in front of another stand. This stand also had various items stacked on the shelves, but they were not just limited to food items. The shelves contained other items, like scarves and what appeared to be multicolored slips of paper.

"This is the next facility, as well as the centerpiece of our shop," Spinda continued. "The Recycle Shop. Surely you must have many useless items sitting in your bag there, waiting to be used but simply take up too much space?"

Soren peered inside the Treasure Bag. "Well, to be honest, yes."

"You could put those in storage, but they would still take up space in there," he said. "Leaving you with no choice but to throw them out." He threw his hands up in the air dramatically. "What a waste that would be! There could be other explorers out there in desperate need of those items!"

Soren and Gina exchanged a glance. These Pokemon were quite strange.

Spinda composed himself. "That's exactly what we thought too, which is why this facility was established. Here, you could bring in extra items you don't want and trade them for ones you do want. Sounds cool, am I right?"

Gina nodded. "Yeah! You'd never have to complain about throwing an item away again!"

"Precisely! So if you have some items you don't need, please make use of the Recycle Shop," said Spinda. "You can even exchange items for a Prize Ticket for a chance to win even better items!" Spinda smiled warmly. "That must have been a whirlwind of a tour, but I hope you have an idea of what this place is all about."

Soren returned the grin. "Thanks, Spinda. This seems like a really fun place!"

Spinda laughed. "Thank you! I hope to see you using our facilities soon!" With a bow from Spinda, Wynaut and Wobbuffet, the trio went to their different stands.

Gina looked at Soren. "Should we use these places now?" she asked eagerly.

"Not yet," the Riolu replied. "I need to put all these items into storage before we go out, and there was another place that just opened that I wanted to see."

Gina groaned. "Fine. I guess working hard to get on the expedition is more important after all."

Soren smirked. "That's the spirit. Now let's get this done!"

~o~o~o~o~

Jasper tensed his muscles, hearing the electricity crackle around him. Amber watched, her eyes glowing with anticipation. The electricity surrounding the Shinx grew, and as he prepared to launch it at the wall of the dojo, the electricity suddenly retracted. He yelped as it shocked him for a split second, and he laid on the ground, his eyes wide.

"Ugh! That's the third time that's happened!" Amber groaned, walking over to help him up. "How is it so hard for you to use Thunderbolt?"

Jasper struggled to his paws. "You haven't been able to use Extrasensory yet, either!" he protested.

"I'm getting close, though," she shot back. Turning to the figure standing near the entrance, she said, "Isn't that right, Marowak?"

"Yes," the Ground-type replied. "You both have extraordinary potential. The problem is you just have trouble bringing your talents out. Keep practicing; you'll get it in no time."

"Yeah, _I_ will," Amber snorted. "I'm not so sure about _him_, though."

"Hello? Is there anyone here?"

Amber's ears pricked, and she spun around to see Soren and Gina standing in the entrance.

"Oh, hey Amber! Hi Jasper!" Gina greeted. "You're here, too?"

"No, we're figments of your imagination," Amber replied sarcastically, rolling her eyes. "Of course we are."

Marowak allowed Gina and Soren inside. "Welcome to Marowak Dojo. Here, you may train yourselves to become stronger, as well as learn new attacks."

"New attacks?" Gina asked, her tail flicking with interest. "That sounds cool!"

"It is," Jasper said. "Some of the moves you can learn here you might not even learn naturally, which is why Marowak researches them and helps you learn them."

"We could do with a little extra training, couldn't we, Gina?" Soren asked.

She nodded. "Yeah! It'll be fun training with you guys!"

Amber chuckled. "Yeah, no. We train on our own, and we certainly don't need any help from you guys." She glared at her partner. "Right, Jasper?"

"Um...W-well..." he stammered.

"Right, Jasper?" she repeated, her voice harder and more determined.

"I believe training together would be an interesting idea," Marowak chimed in. "It will help you all see what it is like to fight together." When Amber opened her mouth to speak, he added, "It may also help you both with learning Thunderbolt and Extrasensory."

Amber narrowed her eyes. "Fine, whatever. Just don't get in my way, or the wall won't be the only thing I'm aiming at."

~o~o~o~o~

The day passed quickly, and before they knew it, Gina and Soren were back at the guild, receiving their reward of 150 Poké from the Machop they rescued.

"Today was a long day," Soren sighed. "I'll be happy to curl up in bed and fall right to sleep tonight."

"Good thing we're not telling scary stories again tonight," Gina brought up. "We'll get a good night's sleep at last."

They descended the ladder to the bottom floor. "I wonder what Chimecho is making tonight for dinner, I'm starv-" Soren broke off and his eyes bulged.

"Soren?" Gina waved her paw in front of his eyes. "You doing okay there?" He pointed with a shaking finger in front of him. Gina looked in the direction he was pointing, and gasped.

A tall, dark Pokemon was speaking with the Guildmaster. He had long fur and large paws, sharp claws glinting at the end of them. The Pokemon turned his head, red eyes curious. The curiosity switched to interest, and he walked over to them.

_That's Mightyena,_ Gina thought. _He must have come to see Soren. _

He stared at his son for a while before finally speaking. "Soren. So you've come to Wigglytuff's Guild."

Soren backed away, his legs shaking with fright. "No... Get away from me."

Mightyena came closer. "Soren, I just want to-"

"Go away!" he screamed. "I don't want to talk to you!" He whirled around, heading directly for the ladder.

"Soren! Wait!" Gina called. She raced up to him, grabbing him before he could start climbing.

"Let me go, Gina," he insisted. "I can't be here. Not now."

"Listen to me," she whispered urgently. "You don't need to be afraid. I'm right here with you. If Mightyena does try something, I'll help you, and don't forget we just trained at Marowak Dojo today. You're stronger and older than you were back then. You'll be okay."

Soren looked up at her, tears threatening to spill from his eyes. With a small grin, Gina added, "I promise."

He gulped, then nodded. "Okay." Gina walked close to his side as they went back to Mightyena. Taking a deep breath, Soren spoke. "Dad."

"Son," his father greeted. "You must be wondering why I have come here. I came because I have finally been able to leave my sessions and see you. They deemed me safe enough to visit, once in a while, anyway."

"They're still keeping a watch on you?" Soren asked carefully.

Mightyena nodded. "I thought I would take this time to come and find you. When I asked your mother where you went, she was reluctant, but after a long series of questions she told me you came here to train as an exploration team member." He smiled. "It felt good, since I would finally be able to see my only son again."

"Mom might trust you..." Soren's eyes flashed with anger, giving the impression of flames. "But I don't! You've made me feel horrible all those years, and now you expect me to just forgive you just like that?! Well, I won't!"

Mightyena's eyes widened as his son continued. "It was thanks to you that I ran away from home! It was thanks to you that I now have all these scars, both physically and on the inside! Thanks to you, I can barely get close to someone without feeling like they'll hurt me! Do you have any idea how that feels?!"

His fists clenched tightly, he attempted to compose himself, panting through gritted teeth. Mightyena was silent, still staring incredulously at the Riolu.

Gina leaned her head against Soren's arm. "It's okay, Soren. It's okay."

Mightyena sighed. "No. It isn't okay." He hung his head. "Soren...is right. I'm a terrible excuse for a father. All those things I did and said...should never have been done. I should have encouraged him, helped him, to be a good father. There is simply no excuse for what I have done."

Soren looked up, the rage gone from his eyes, becoming emotional again. "I am sorry for what I did, Soren," Mightyena went on. "I don't expect you to forgive me, but just know that...I'm so, so sorry, and I love you." Soren's ears twitched. His father had not said that to him for such a long time.

Mightyena dipped his head to Wigglytuff, who had watched the scene without saying a word. "I apologize for intruding. I will take my leave now."

Mightyena turned to leave. Gina felt Soren leave her side, walking up to his father. "Thank you, dad," he whispered, his voice trembling. "I don't forgive you entirely, not yet. But...thank you." The tears finally poured from his eyes, and he hunched over, sobbing.

Mightyena looked down at his son, and he leaned down, pressing his muzzle to the top of Soren's head. "Don't be afraid to cry," he murmured. "A real explorer _does_ cry."

Gina smiled. She hoped that they finally settled their differences, and they would move on from the past, and that Mightyena would grow to be a better father.

Confusion still pricked at her mind, though. _What about me? Do I even _have_ a family?_


	10. Chapter 10

Gina and Soren rose from their beds and headed out of their room, having been woken up early courtesy of Loudred. It was another regular morning for them and the guild, but something made Gina's fur prickle when she saw Chatot smiling. Sure, he was usually smiling, but there was something different about this time.

"What's gotten into him?" Gina wondered aloud. "He seems happier than he usually does."

"Yeah," Soren agreed. "His smile is normally forced. This time he seems genuinely happy."

"Maybe Wigglytuff is giving him the day off?" she suggested.

"Could be. We'll probably find out in a few seconds."

Chatot waved his wings for attention. "Everyone! I have an important announcement to make before we begin work." When the voices gradually quieted, Chatot continued, "Today, we will be receiving new allies!"

_I guess that's what he's so happy about,_ Gina thought. _I wonder who they are? _

Curious whispers spread through the crowd. Gina exchanged a glance with Soren. He shrugged, clearly just as intrigued as she was.

Chatot turned to the ladder leading down to the floor. "Hey! You all may come down now!"

At that instant, a horrid smell filled the room. Everyone's voices rose in shock.

"Eek! What is that odor?!" Sunflora shrieked.

"It smells awful!" Loudred yelled.

Bidoof looked around guiltily. "Yup, that stench sure is foul..." he muttered.

Gina held her nose and coughed, her throat soon becoming sore. She remembered exactly who could make such an atrocious stench, and she tensed her muscles. _It's them!_ She squeezed her eyes shut, hoping it was all just a dream and she would wake up soon.

When she opened her eyes, her heart sank as she realized it was real. Down the ladder came three familiar Poison-type Pokemon, smug grins spread across their faces. They stood in front of the group, the two smaller ones flanking their leader.

"Woah-ho, I'm Koffing!" said the one on the leader's left side.

"Heh, the name's Zubat!" the one of the right said. "Glad to meet you!"

"I'm the leader of Team Skull," the one in the center concluded. "My name is Skuntank. Remember it." Flashing a smirk in Team Diamond's direction, he added, "Especially you two!"

Chatot noticed the exchange and looked at them with interest. "Oh? Are you already acquainted with each other?" He grinned. "That certainly makes things much easier to explain, then! I hope you all get along well!"

Gina snorted. "Yeah, that'll happen," she muttered under her breath.

"So, are these guys actually JOINING us as apprentices?" Loudred asked.

Chatot shook his head. "The Guildmaster and I have agreed that they will simply be joining us for the expedition. As I said earlier, they will be treated with hospitality and kindness."

"Wait, what?!" Soren gasped. "They're coming along with us?"

Chatot narrowed his eyes with confusion. "Why do you sound so shocked?"

"It's nothing, Chatot, sir," Skuntank chuckled. "That one there always overreacts to everything, no matter how small a deal."

Chatot's glance flickered from Skuntank to Soren, then he shrugged. "Very well, then." He cleared his throat. "Anyway, we have decided that having this trio take part in the expedition will assist us. However, if we began working together right away, it would be impossible to truly coordinate teamwork. Therefore, they will also be living with us for several days. They will be bunking in the spare room that we have down the hall."

Loudred folded his arms across his chest. "Doesn't he think something stinks about this?" he whispered. "Literally?"

Sunflora scowled. "Ew, how can the Guildmaster stand this?"

Bidoof nodded in agreement. "I hope this expedition ends soon, yup yup!"

Chatot smiled, happy to see everyone understood the situation. "All right, everyone. Let's get down to work!"

The crew exchanged uneasy glances, before muttering in unison, "... Hooray."

Chatot frowned. "Oh? What's this?" he asked. "Where is your usual enthusiasm?"

Amber groaned from beside Gina. "You must be kidding! This stinks!" she snapped. "How in Arceus' name can you expect us to be cheerful when-"

She was cut off as the guild began to tremble. "Wh-what's going on?" she demanded, a tone of fear in her voice.

Gina glanced at Wigglytuff. His eyes were squeezed shut in concentration, and his hands were curled up into fists. "Yoom..." she heard him mutter. "Yoom..."

Chatot gasped. "No! The Guildmaster... The Guildmaster's rage is building! If he gets angry, it will be utterly horrific!"

"What do we do?" Sunflora shrieked.

"Everyone! Please, even if it hurts, be cheerful!" Chatot forced himself into a calmer state. "Alright everyone! Time to get to work!"

Too scared to do anything else, the guild members played along. "Hooray!"

The tremors stopped immediately, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Gina looked beside her, and she noticed that Jasper seemed he would faint at any second.

The group dispersed, leaving only Team Skull, Team Diamond, Chatot, Amber and Jasper in the room. Skuntank snickered. "Glad to have met you all!" Raising an eyebrow at Amber, he added, "Especially you. Chaw-haw!"

Amber rolled her eyes and turned to Jasper. "Come on, we have work to do." She waked away, Jasper following her up the ladder.

Skuntank nodded to his teammates. "We should be going, too. Come on, boys!"

Koffing nodded, floating after his leader. Zubat followed as well, turning around only to say, "See you later, you two! Heh-heh!"

As soon as they were out of sight, Soren sighed. "Well, that just happened."

"I can't believe this!" Gina's tail twitched in annoyance. "How could the Guildmaster have let those guys in?"

"If you are all done talking..." They jumped at the sound of Chatot's voice. They looked up from their conversation to see him standing in front of them. "I want you two to take jobs from the bulletin boards as usual today. Understood?"

"Yes, sir," they said in unison before ascending the ladder upstairs.

"Maybe it won't be so bad," Gina tried to reassure her partner. "They didn't seem as mean as they were when we first met them. Maybe they've decided to change?"

"I hope that's true," Soren said, scanning over the posted jobs. He pointed at one. "How does this one sound? It has a good enough reward."

Gina examined the sheet of paper. "Okay, let's do it. We have to make sure we get chosen for the expedition, so let's stop focusing on Team Skull and do our best!"

Soren chuckled at his partner's enthusiasm. "Right!"

~o~o~o~o~

Later that night after dinner, Team Skull was settling into their room.

"Did you see the looks on those losers' faces when they saw us coming into the guild?" Zubat snickered. "It was priceless!"

"Especially that Eevee!" Koffing added. "Hers was the most hilarious!"

Another bout of laughter rang out between them. Zubat lowered his voice. "I know we just had dinner, but I think I could go for some more food."

"Yeah, my belly'll never get filled on grub like that," Koffing agreed. He turned to Skuntank. "Hey, Chief! Think we can get more food?"

"Keep your voice down!" Skuntank hissed. "The guild chumps have all finally gone off to bed." He got up from his bed and stood in the entrance of their room. "Come on. Let's go find it now."

"Find what?" Zubat asked.

"What do you think? The guild's food supply." He chuckled to himself. "Once we find that, we can give ourselves the feast we deserve!"

"Woah-ho! Good thinking, Chief!" Koffing said.

Zubat nodded. "Only our Chief could come up with something like that!" He flew over to Skuntank. "Let's get to it!"

~o~o~o~o~

Gina gagged as she and Soren passed Team Skull's room the next morning. "How can anyone stand this stench?" she wheezed.

"They probably can't," Soren said. "They just don't want to say anything in case Wigglytuff gets angry again."

They joined the rest of the guild for their morning cheers. When they finished, Chatot called them over, a very slight tone of urgency in his voice.

"What's wrong, Chatot?" Soren asked. "Is everything alright?"

"Yes, but I have a different task for you two today." He cleared his throat. "Today, it will be your duty to replenish the larder."

Gina raised an eyebrow. "Larder? What's that?"

"Food. I inspected the food stock this morning before you all woke up." Chatot gulped. "There has been a drastic shortage in food, and worst of all we're all out of Perfect Apples."

"What are Perfect Apples?" Gina asked.

"They are very big and very delicious apples, hence the name 'Perfect'. There's more to that, however; they are also the Guildmaster's favorite food. If the Guildmaster found out there were no more Perfect Apples, he would..." Chatot trailed off, his voice shaking. "H-he would..."

"Go on," Soren said expectantly. "If there were no more Perfect Apples, what would Wigglytuff do?"

"He... The Guildmaster would..." Chatot was silent, his eyes staring at the ground, as though he was seeing a terrifying event happen before his eyes. When he spoke again, he was no longer stammering. "... Yes, that's what would happen."

"That didn't make any sense," Gina pointed out, tilting her head to the side. "You didn't even-"

Chatot ignored her. "That is why I beg of you two to go to Apple Woods and retrieve some Perfect Apples."

"Where's Apple Woods?" Soren pulled the Wonder Map out of the Treasure Bag and unfolded it. "I don't think we've ever been there..."  
Chatot hopped up to them and pointed with his wing to a small wooded area roughly at the center of the map. "Right over here, beside Oran Forest."

Soren nodded and put the map away.

"Now I understand this may seem like a simple errand, but this is a crucial task," Chatot warned. "After all, this is about the Guildmaster's..." He shuddered again, not bothering to explain. "So please, don't fail!"

Gina still felt confused about what had just happened, but she shrugged. "Alright!" She bounded over to the ladder. "C'mon, Soren! Let's get this done!"

As Soren followed his partner out of the guild, they didn't notice that Team Skull was watching them from afar, sly grins spread across their faces.

"Well, looks like they'll be out foraging for food," Koffing commented.

"All because we feasted last night," Skuntank chortled. "A thankless task, thanks to us!"

"Heh-heh! Let's mess with them!" Zubat said.

~o~o~o~o~

Apple Woods was, as the name suggested, plentiful with apples. They were hanging off of nearly every tree in sight. Soren guessed that no Pokemon would go hungry here any time soon.

"Gonna pick some apples!" Gina sang loudly as they explored the forest. "Gonna pick us some apples so we can go on the expedition!"

"Gina, that doesn't even rhyme," Soren said. "And will you keep your voice down? We don't want to attract any more enemies than we already have."

"Oh yeah? Give me something that _does_ rhyme with apple," she challenged.

Soren groaned. "Look, Gina, we don't have time for this. As you said in your song, we're doing this so that Chatot can see we can go on the expedition, and so that we can hopefully eat tonight."

"So you don't have anything that rhymes with apple?" Gina asked, completely missing the point.

"There are probably a bunch of words that rhyme with apple, but for now we need to-" He halted as they entered a clearing. "Ah! We must have reached the deepest part of the woods already." An enormous tree in the center of the clearing caught his attention. The largest apples he'd ever seen were hanging off the branches. "That must be the Perfect Apples."

"Wow! They're huge! And shiny!" Gina squealed. "I wonder what they taste like!"

"We can't eat them," Soren pointed out. "They're for Wigglytuff, remember?"

Gina rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah, I know." They walked closer to the tree. It was much taller up close, and Gina had to tilt her head far back just to see the top. "So how to we get them?"

"Chaw-haw! Easily done, sweetheart!"

Gina jumped back at the sound of the voice. "Who's there?" she demanded. "Show yourself!"

The leaves in the tree rustled, and the branches parted as Skuntank, Koffing and Zubat emerged and leapt down to ground. Skuntank's mouth was curved into a grin. "Fancy meeting you here!"

"You guys?" Soren gasped. "What are you doing here?"

"We've been having ourselves a picnic of Perfect Apples! You kept us waiting so long, I stuffed myself!" Koffing laughed, not bothering to stifle a burp.

"You say you ate all the Perfect Apples, but there's still some left on the tree," Soren observed. "Come on, Gina. We're going to knock these guys out and take those Perfect Apples!"

"Knock us out?" Zubat asked with feigned innocence. "How cold of you!"

"After all, we were only going to offer our help on your mission!" Skuntank added.

Gina's ears pricked. "What?"

Skuntank chuckled. He walked closer and drew Gina to him with his paw, feeling amused at the sight of Soren clenching his hands into fists. "You were wondering how you could get the Perfect Apples, weren't you?"

"Well, yeah, but-"

"Nothing could be easier. Watch." Skuntank left Gina's side and to the left of the tree. He backed up, narrowing his eyes. Then, he charged forward and rammed the trunk, causing the tree to shake wildly. He did it again, this time shaking down five Perfect Apples.

Gina smiled. "Wow! That was cool!"

Skuntank grinned, moving to stand beside his teammates again. "See? What did I tell you? It couldn't be easier. Now go on. Pick up those Perfect Apples and scuttle back to the guild."

He and his teammates were snickering amongst themselves, but Gina took no notice. "Will do! Thanks, Skuntank!" She was about to move forward, but Soren blocked her path with one outstretched arm. "Hey, what gives?" she whispered.

"Yes, what's wrong, Soren?" Skuntank said smoothly. "Aren't you going to pick them up? After I offered to help you out, too!"

Soren stepped in front of her, eyeing Team Skull with disgust. "First, you make that move on my partner," he said, glaring at Skuntank. "Then you try to trick us into taking those Perfect Apples just so that you can make a surprise attack on us? You're not going to fool us that easily!"

"Soren, what are you-" Gina stopped herself as she heard shocked gasps coming from Team Skull. They huddled together, whispering, and Gina angled her ears so she could hear.

"Color me surprised! He didn't fall for it at all!" Zubat whispered.

"Aw, how boring is that?" Koffing snickered.

"I knew it," Soren growled. "You only did that so you could knock us out, huh?"

"It's a shame you didn't fall for our little act," Skuntank said. "Turns out, you're more clever than you look. Then again, it's not like you'll do anything about it."

"You guys really haven't changed..." Gina muttered. She dug her paws into the earth, eyes flaring with rage. "You _scumbags_! I should've known!"

Skuntank laughed. "Language, Gina! Weren't you taught better?" With a sly smirk, he added. "So, what're you gonna do about it?"

Gina stepped forward threateningly. "Simple. We'll knock your team out and take those Perfect Apples!"

"Yeah!" Soren came to stand next to her. "You won't beat us this time!"

"Well, aren't we feeling peppy today!" Skuntank goaded. "When we first met, you were shaking like a leaf!"

Soren gulped. "I may have been scared, but it won't happen again! I'm not backing down now!"

Skuntank snorted. "So be it. In honor of your courage, we'll be glad to take you losers on, fair and square!"

Skuntank and Koffing moved in front of them, and Zubat flitted off to the side.

"Careful, Gina!" Soren said, not letting his guard down. "They're going to try something. We have to be ready!"

Gina nodded. "Right!"

Skuntank let out a hoarse laugh. "Let's see if you can take this attack. Koffing and I will use...our noxious gas combo!" Koffing and Skuntank simultaneously released a Smog attack directly at Gina and Soren.

Soren and Gina gasped, and shut their eyes, taking the full force of the attack.

A little while later, Gina opened her eyes again, gagging and shaking out her fur. "Ugh, that was awful..."

"Gina... You okay?" Soren heaved himself to his feet, his legs shaking. "What a bunch of jerks."

Another Pokemon groaned nearby. Gina turned in the direction of the sound and saw Zubat lying at the roots of the tree. The Poison-type got up, looking from side to side. He gasped. "They left without me!" He beat his wings quickly and fled from the clearing.

"Well, at least we're okay," Soren said. Looking back at the base of the tree, he gasped. "The Perfect Apples! They're all gone! They must have eaten them all!"

"There have to be some left around here somewhere!" Gina sniffed around the clearing, hoping to catch a whiff of any Perfect Apples. To her dismay, she could only smell the regular Apples.

"Forget it." The Riolu let out a defeated sigh. "We'll just have to go back to the guild and tell Chatot what happened." Turning around, he gestured with his hand for Gina to follow.

"Chatot will understand what happened," Gina tried to cheer her partner up. "He has to. I mean, everyone makes mistakes, right?"

~o~o~o~o~

"You what?!" Chatot shrieked. "You say you've failed?!" He flew frantically around the room. "This is terrible! Oh, what am I going to do? What am I going to do?!"

Gina gave Soren an awkward grin. "He's taking it well, don't you think?"

Soren turned to Chatot. "Sir, you have to listen. There was nothing we could do. You see, Team Skull-"

"Shush! I don't want to hear any excuses!" he snapped.

Soren winced, letting his arms hang loose at his sides.

"I'm afraid you've left me with no choice," Chatot continued. "For the time being, you'll go without dinner tonight!"

"What?!" Gina gasped. "But that's not fair!"

"You failed to complete an important task," he retorted. "Your punishment could be much more severe!" Chatot did a few deep breaths before speaking again. "I must go and speak to the Guildmaster about this. Surely upon hearing my report, he'll..."

Chatot started shrieking again, flapping his wings like mad. He stopped himself and glared once again at Team Diamond. "I will discuss this with the Guildmaster after dinner," he explained. "You two will accompany me. If I had to face the Guildmaster's wrath on my own, well, that would hardly be fair. Therefore, you will come with me as I do so! And that's an order!"

Chatot whirled around and descended the ladder in a huff.

Soren sighed. "Looks like Chatot didn't understand, after all."

"Guess not." Gina hung her head. "We won't even get to eat tonight! After today, I was looking forward to getting something to eat..."

"We put all of our food in Kangaskhan Storage before we came back here, too," he added. "So eating after we go to see Wigglytuff is completely out of the question."

A bell sounded from downstairs. "Looks like it's time for dinner," Gina remarked. She headed for the ladder. "We better go to the mess hall."

"But we aren't allowed to eat," Soren pointed out.

"Maybe we'll get offered food?" she suggested hopefully.

When they arrived, Chatot pointed a wing to the far side of the room, signaling for them to sit and be quiet while the rest of them ate.

Soren's spirit fell as he watched the guild members eat in front of them. He felt his stomach growl, and he found himself flinching away from the stares of the others. Amber and Jasper looked especially intent on them. Amber whispered something in Jasper's ear, and he stared at her incredulously with shining eyes.

_She's probably talking about how pathetic we are,_ Soren guessed. _We weren't even able to complete a task that simple! _

Gina put a paw on his hand. "It'll be okay, don't worry," she assured him with a halfhearted grin.

Soren returned the smile, hoping his partner was right.

~o~o~o~o~

Chatot led them into the Guildmaster's room after dinner as promised. Wigglytuff's back was facing them, and when they approached, he spun around. "Hi! You brought Perfect Apples for me, didn't you? Thank you so much!"

Chatot cleared his throat. "Erm... I apologize for this, Guildmaster. It's hard to say this, but..."

"Oh? Is something wrong?" Wigglytuff asked.

"Well, truth be told, Guildmaster, these apprentices... Well, they failed in their mission to bring back any Perfect Apples," he explained. "S-so in other words..."

"It's okay!" The Guildmaster turned to Gina and Soren with a smile. "I understand. It's totally all right! Not everyone wins all the time! Don't feel blue!" He looked at Chatot expectantly. "So, where are the other Perfect Apples?"

Gina's blood ran cold. _He thinks there's more? _

Chatot gulped. "As I just explained, sir, these two failed. So in other words, the amount of Perfect Apples harvested would be...zero."

Wigglytuff's smile weakened, and the happy gleam in his eyes faded. "Oh."

"That means, Guildmaster, you will have to make do without Perfect Apples for a while." A short chuckle emitted from his beak. "Yep, that's what it means!" Chatot went into a laughing fit, as though he were losing his sanity from simply standing there.

Soren and Gina exchanged a confused glance. This visit was getting weirder by the second.

Chatot's laughter died down, and he stared at the Guildmaster. His eyes widened. "Um, Guildmaster? Guildmaster?"

Soren and Gina directed their attention to Wigglytuff, whose lips trembled and eyes watered. Tiny sobs came from his mouth.

_He's gonna cry,_ Gina thought. _This isn't going to be pretty. _

As Wigglytuff's sniffles grew louder, Chatot gasped. "Oh no..."

The guild shook, and soon the Guildmaster was outright crying. "Waaah... Waaaaaahhh..."

Chatot whipped his head around to Soren and Gina. "Cover your ears!"

"Why?" Gina asked with a tone of urgency. "What's happening?"

"Don't argue!" Chatot snapped. "Just do it! Now!"

Soren did as Chatot instructed, and Gina soon followed, crouching down low to the ground.

Wigglytuff's crying soon became an earsplitting wail, and Gina pressed herself close to Soren's side, praying that it would all soon be over.

Just as they thought they were done for, a calm voice said, "Sorry to disturb you! We've come to deliver a gift!"

Wigglytuff stopped instantly. "Huh?"

Gina and Soren uncovered their ears and turned around. Team Skull was standing in the doorway, with smiles plastered across their faces. Koffing and Zubat entered first, shoving Gina and Soren roughly out of the way. Skuntank walked in and stood in front of the Guildmaster.

"I believe you've been wanting one of these?" he asked, placing a Perfect Apple at Wigglytuff's feet. "We collected some before we came back from exploring today. Take it as a token of our friendship!"

"You got a Perfect Apple just for me?" Wigglytuff asked. "Yay! Thank you, friendly friends! Thank you!"

Chatot smiled and directed his attention to Skuntank. "Thanks to you, we've all been spared a certain catastrophe! Thank you very much!" He glared at Gina and Soren, who were still crouched together. "You two! Quit your cowering and show some respect and appreciation!"

Soren gritted his teeth, his red eyes like flames. "Thank. You."

"Chaw-haw-haw! No need to thank us!" Skuntank said with fake modesty. "After all, your guild has been so generous to us. It's only right that we try to repay you!"

"You are all certainly the most admirable of Pokemon," Chatot said. "If only there were more like you! It will be truly inspiring to embark on an expedition with you all!"

"Oh, no! You will be the ones who inspire us. We look forward to exploring with you all. It's late now, so we'll be off to bed. Until tomorrow!" He turned around, nodded to Koffing and Zubat, and exited the room.

"Thank you!" Wigglytuff called after them. "Friends! Friendly friends!"

When they got back to their room, Zubat looked at Skuntank. "Chief, why'd you bother helping out that chicken? We could have stayed back and watched what happened. That would've been hilarious."

"Yeah, my thoughts exactly," Koffing put in.

"You're not thinking strategically, you two," Skuntank replied. "Remember why we came here in the first place? The expedition, right? Right now, we need to win Wigglytuff's trust."

Koffing nodded. "I see..."

"Of course, this being a famous guild and all, I was playing it safe at first, but this has been ridiculously easy," he mentioned with a chuckle. "Wigglytuff has been nothing more than a big baby. He's no big deal. I honestly have no clue why everyone's so afraid of him."

A sly grin spread across his face as he went on. "Anyway, if we find a treasure on the expedition..."

"We knock out the guild's crew," Koffing said.

"Then we swipe the treasure and skedaddle on out!" Zubat finished. "Heh-heh! This plan is a sure thing!"

Skuntank snorted. "Naturally! Chaw-haw-haw!"

~o~o~o~o~

Soren was lying on his back in his bed, staring up at the ceiling. "Skuntank and his crew showed us up twice today," he sighed. "What else will they do?"

"It's a good thing Wigglytuff didn't blow up at us, though," Gina replied. She winced as her stomach growled. "But then again, we didn't even get to eat anything for dinner. I'm so hungry..."

"Yeah, me too." He rolled over on his side. "Staying awake like this won't make anything better. Let's just try to get to sleep, okay?"

"Yeah." Gina curled her tail around her body. "Goodnight Soren."

"Goodnight, Gina," Soren murmured. "Let's keep at it tomorrow." He eventually drifted off to sleep, forcing himself to shove the feeling of hunger and disappointment away.


End file.
